PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Nainital
Devotees in their thousands thronged the revered Kainchi Dham on Monday, marking its foundation day. Police said that they came from across the country as well as abroad to have darshan of the Neeb Karori Baba. Meanwhile, the administration kept a close watch on every activity with drones.
Long queues of devotees were seen in the temple complex and surrounding areas since Monday morning. Amidst chants and hymns, devotees waited for hours to have the Baba’s darshan. The administration and police have made elaborate security arrangements for the religious fair. Police forces have been deployed at every nook and corner, from the temple complex to the vicinity. To keep an eye on the security arrangements, continuous monitoring was done through drone cameras, CCTV and control room. “For the convenience of the devotees, a special traffic plan has been implemented and a shuttle service is being operated,” said SP (Crime), Jagdish Chandra.
On this occasion, Rajesh Verma, who came from Ayodhya, said that he has been visiting Kainchi Dham for many years. “But this is the first time I am visiting it on the foundation day. We have not found any problem thanks to the arrangements made by the admonition,” he added.
Lakshmi, who came from Delhi-Noida, echoed and said that she has deep faith in the Baba. “His darshan helped fulfill my wishes. So I make it a point to visit the shrine and seek his blessing,” she added.
Another devotee Pranjal appreciated the efficient crowd management. “An unprecedentedly large number of devotees arrived this year. Despite the huge crowd, arrangements are satisfactory, and darshan proceeds smoothly,” he said.
The SP (Crime) further said that in view of the foundation day, the police and administration had made extensive preparations in advance. “By 9 AM, over 70, 000 devotees visited the temple. We are satisfied with the arrangements made, particularly the shuttle service. Fool-proof security buttressed by drones has been enforced,” he added
The SP Manjunath TC said that they had been able to avoid previous years’ chaos. “The route diversions and shuttle services have come handy in managing the crowd,” he said.
However, the traders who run shops along the stretches leading to the shrine looked unhappy with the administration closing their roadside shops. They said that this is the only time when they do good business, “But this time we are deeply disappointed,” one trader said.
