Kolkata and Howrah authorities have tightened safety and civic arrangements at major Ganga ghats ahead of Mahalaya, when large numbers of people are expected to arrive before dawn for tarpan. Floating barriers will be installed in the river, while special control rooms will monitor the ghats and coordinate emergency response, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin.
The preparations cover the ghats, stairways, embankments, landing platforms, approach roads and parking areas in Kolkata and Howrah. Authorities have directed agencies to complete cleaning before the ritual period begins, including the removal of accumulated garbage, silt, weeds, floral waste and other debris from the ghats and adjoining stretches of water.
Adequate waste bins will be mandatory at each ghat, and sanitation workers will remain deployed through the tarpan period. The arrangements will also include bio-toilets and changing rooms for women. Lighting is to be provided at the ghats, access routes, stairways and parking areas before daybreak, when the largest crowds are expected.
Water safety measures will include trained divers, civil defence volunteers, life jackets, life buoys, ropes and other rescue equipment. Motorised boats will be stationed at major ghats and patrol the adjoining water continuously. The floating barriers are intended to help restrict access to hazardous sections of the river and reduce the risk of people entering unsafe areas.
The reported deployment will extend beyond Kolkata and Howrah. The state disaster management force will be positioned at ghats in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts. At major ghats under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, temporary medical camps will provide first aid, with ambulances also kept available for emergencies.
Control rooms will operate through a joint arrangement involving the Kolkata and Howrah municipal authorities and the respective police commissionerates. Nodal officers assigned to the ghats will remain in contact with these control rooms. The state emergency services centre at Nabanna will also remain operational, according to the report.
The arrangements place sanitation, crowd movement and water rescue within a single operational framework. For riverfront cities such as Kolkata and Howrah, the challenge is not limited to managing people on the steps: emergency teams must also monitor access points, adjoining water, approach roads and basic facilities during a concentrated period of activity.
The measures are scheduled for the Mahalaya tarpan period, which marks the transition from Pitru Paksha to the Devi Paksha in the Bengali calendar. The authorities’ preparations will be tested before sunrise, when limited visibility, crowded stairways and movement near the river create the need for coordinated lighting, surveillance, rescue and medical response. The control rooms and on-site nodal officers are expected to remain active throughout the exercise.
