Crowd gathered at Gangasagar fair on Makar Sankranti, lakhs of devotees took a dip of faith.

Kolkata, 14 January. On the occasion of Makar Sankranti, lakhs of devotees took bath on Wednesday morning at the confluence of Hooghly River in West Bengal and the Bay of Bengal at Sagar Island. Devotees braved the biting cold to take bath at sunrise and offer prayers at Kapil Muni Ashram, located on the island in South 24 Parganas district, where the Gangasagar Mela is being organised. The timing of the royal bath will start from 1:19 pm and will continue for 24 hours.

In view of the huge crowd coming from different corners of the country, the state government has made elaborate arrangements at Sagar Island, located about 100 km from Kolkata. A senior official said more and more people are expected to take bath at the confluence of the sea and the Hooghly river, a tributary of the Ganga.

State-of-the-art water drone deployed for the first time

The official said that apart from this, security has also been increased in the districts and at the railway stations and bus stands of Kolkata in view of the annual fair. He said that for the first time, state-of-the-art water drones, also known as ‘rescue drones’, have been deployed for continuous surveillance along the coast.

This rescue drone 100 capable of carrying a load of up to a kilogram

He said, ‘These drones have been deployed specifically to increase surveillance around Kapil Muni Ashram and the main bathing ghats. These rescue drones are capable of carrying a load of up to 100 kg and can immediately transport devotees in distress to a safe place.