Administration gears up for the second biggest Urs

Hardwar, Mar 20 (UNI) The state Waqf board and the district administration is gearing up for holding the 838th annual Urs at Piran Kaliyar, near Roorkee on March 22.

The two week Urs, which is held in the memory of noted Sufi saint, Sabir Saheb, is the second biggest of the country, the first being that of Ajmer. The mega religious event will last up to April five.

The culminating point of the Urs will be on April one with the ceremony of Badi Roshni (mega illumination). Sources in the district administration say this time about 10 lakh zayreens (pilgrims), from all over the world, are likely to visit the holy dargah of the Sufi saint during the Urs.

The chairman of the state Waqf board, Rais Ahmed told UNI a batch of 200 pilgrims from Pakistan will reach Piran Kaliyar on March 30 and will stay there up to April 4.

The District Magistrate, R K Sudhanshu has directed officials of all the departments, including the PWD, health, electricity and transport, to streamline the infrastructure facilities, such as the supply of drinking water and electricity, medical facilities and transport.

A temporary hospital and 60 permanent and 120 temporary toilets have been set up in the mela area. Special buses will ply between Roorkee and Piran Kaliyar and special bogies will be added to half a dozen trains passing through Roorkee, sources say.

The Haj house at Piran Kaliyar has also been readied for pilgrims stay coming from other states and abroad.

The SSP, Abhinav Kumar said full proof security arrangements had been made. "The mela area has been divided into four zones for security and adequate force, including civil police, home guards, bomb disposal squads, fire extinguishers, units of sniffer dogs and divers have been deployed in the mela area", Mr Kumar said.

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