Kolkata and Howrah authorities have prepared a coordinated safety, sanitation and emergency-response plan at major Ganga ghats ahead of Mahalaya tarpan, with floating barricades, control rooms, trained divers, motorised boats and medical camps to manage the expected early-morning crowds.
The arrangements are aimed at preventing accidents as devotees gather at riverfront ghats to perform tarpan, a ritual marking the end of Pitru Paksha and the beginning of the festive period. Authorities have identified the ghats in Kolkata and Howrah where additional surveillance and crowd-safety measures will be implemented.
Floating barricades will be placed in the water to restrict access to unsafe areas and help prevent people from moving too far into the river. At every major ghat, trained divers, civil defence volunteers, life jackets, lifebuoys, ropes and other rescue equipment will be deployed. Motorised boats will patrol the waters adjoining the ghats continuously during the ritual period.
The state disaster management force will also be deployed at ghats across Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts. The multi-district deployment is intended to support local administrations during a period when large numbers of people are expected to gather near riverbanks before dawn.
A joint control room operated by the Kolkata and Howrah municipal corporations and the police commissionerates will remain active to monitor conditions at the ghats. Nodal officers assigned to individual locations will maintain constant communication with the control room. The state emergency services centre at Nabanna will also remain operational.
The preparations include a significant sanitation component. Authorities have directed that ghats, stairways, embankments, landing platforms and access roads be cleaned thoroughly before the gathering. Waste, silt, weeds, flower offerings and other accumulated material in and around the water are to be removed. Adequate bins will be mandatory at every ghat, while sanitation workers will remain deployed from the beginning to the end of the tarpan period.
The plan also includes public amenities intended to support visitors and improve basic conditions at the riverfront sites. Bio-toilets and changing rooms for women will be arranged at the ghats. Adequate lighting will be required at the ghats, stairs, access roads and parking areas before sunrise, when many devotees are expected to arrive.
Temporary medical camps will be set up at all major ghats under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, with ambulances kept ready for emergencies. The combination of medical assistance, water rescue teams, lighting, sanitation and control-room monitoring reflects the range of risks involved in managing large gatherings at riverfront public spaces.
The measures cover not only the immediate ritual locations but also the routes and facilities that visitors use to reach them. Authorities have instructed local teams to keep access areas clear and maintain communication with the central control rooms throughout the period. The arrangements will remain in force during Mahalaya tarpan, with emergency services and monitoring teams deployed as devotees arrive at the ghats.
