Administrative preparations for the Pitru Paksha Fair-2026 starting from September 25 in Gayaji have reached the final stage. In view of the possibility of a large number of devotees reaching Gaya from India and abroad, responsibilities have been given to different departments regarding security arrangements. In this sequence, the District Fire Department has started investigating the possible fire risk places in the fair area. The fire department team inspected many places including Vishnupad temple complex, major ghats, religious places and tent city and tested the fire prevention arrangements.
During the inspection, the condition of electrical wiring, temporary structures, emergency evacuation routes and access roads for fire vehicles were particularly observed. A large number of temporary shops, pandals, tents and other structures are prepared in the fair area. In such a situation, any technical problem in the electrical wires or temporary connections can cause fire. For this reason, the fire department has checked the electricity system and fire prevention preparations on priority.
A special team under the leadership of District Fire Officer Jyoti Prakash took stock of the sensitive places of the fair area. The team tried to see that in case of any emergency, there would be no hindrance for the fire brigade and rescue team to reach the spot. Attention was also paid to keeping roads open in congested areas and improving emergency response.
Vishnupad temple is the main center of Pitru Paksha fair. A large number of devotees reach here for Pind Daan and other religious rituals. Apart from this, there is movement of devotees at various ghats, Sitakund, Akshayvat, Pretshila and other religious places. Given the crowd pressure at such places as well as the risks associated with electricity, cooking areas and temporary construction, monitoring by the fire department becomes important.
The fire department team also inspected the tent city being built in Gandhi Maidan and Gaya Railway Station area. Many temporary accommodation arrangements including tent city have been made for the stay of devotees coming from outside in the Pitru Paksha fair. According to the preparations of the administration, arrangements for accommodation of a large number of devotees have been made in tent city, community hall, hotel, Dharamshala and other places.
Fire safety arrangements hold special importance in temporary residential areas like tent cities. Here a large number of people stay in a limited area and temporary electrical connections and equipment are used for electricity, lighting and other facilities. Therefore, adequate routes and easy access of fire vehicles are necessary for safe evacuation of people in case of fire. These aspects were seen during the inspection of the fire department.
Separate preparations have also been made on a large scale regarding the electricity system in the fair area. The Electricity Department has prepared 10 control rooms and deployed 21 officers for uninterrupted supply during the Pitru Paksha Mela. According to the department, about eight kilometers of LT wires have been replaced and fencing has been done to protect 50 transformers. The capacity of some transformers has also been increased, so that the increasing load during the fair can be handled.
The preparations of the electricity department and the investigation of the fire department are being linked to each other, because any technical problem related to electricity in the fair area can have a direct impact on fire safety. It is important to remove problems like frayed wires, overloading, unsafe connections or open wires in time. Arrangements have also been made for temporary electricity connections for those setting up temporary shops in the fair area and action has been taken against those using electricity without connection or overloaded.
The fire department not only paid attention to religious places but also checked other crowded areas. There is a possibility of more movement of devotees and passengers at places like Bihar School Examination Committee Bus Stand. In case of emergency in such areas, arrangements for safe evacuation of people and rapid transportation of fire vehicles will be important. The fire department also saw these aspects during inspection.
Pitru Paksha Fair will be held from 25 September to 10 October this year. The district administration has created separate special cells for crowd management, security, electricity, health, traffic, cleanliness and disaster management during the fair. According to the administration's review, accommodation arrangements for 75,348 pilgrims have been made through tent cities, community buildings, police facilities, hotels, rest houses and dharamshalas.
Technology is also being used for crowd control and monitoring. According to the district administration, arrangements are being made for monitoring and AI based real time alerts through 543 CCTV cameras in the fair area. Apart from this, there is a plan to install 335 additional CCTV cameras at 67 places. Gaya district administration had also issued an official tender for the arrangement of temporary CCTV, drone cameras, video cameras and other equipment for the security and law and order of the fair area.
This time the security arrangements have not been limited to policing only. Emphasis is being laid on coordination between different departments including police, administration, fire, electricity, health and traffic. The IG of Magadha region had also recently inspected the Vishnupad temple area and the tent city located at Gandhi Maidan and took stock of the security, crowd control and traffic arrangements.
A 24-hour control room has also been activated to assist the devotees. Number 9266628168 has been issued for the e-Samadhan IVRS control room started at Sanvas Sadan located in Vishnupad. There is a system to direct the complaints and calls for help of the devotees to the concerned department. Apart from this, temporary control rooms have been made in Devghat and Akshayvat.
In view of the situation of a devotee getting separated from his family during the fair, lost and found centers are also being activated. If needed, the administration has informed that arrangements will be made in the tent city to keep such devotees at a safe place. Arrangements have also been made to continuously give important information through public address system at crowded ghats and altars.
The main objective of the investigation being done by the fire department is to identify potential danger in advance rather than taking action after an incident. With the presence of thousands and lakhs of people in the fair area, even a small fire can spread rapidly, especially in places where temporary pandals, tents or shops are close to each other. Therefore, checking of electrical wiring, gas or cooking areas, fire extinguishing equipment and emergency routes is being considered an important part of the security system.
The administration is trying to provide a safe and orderly environment to the devotees coming to Gaya during Pitru Paksha along with religious rituals. There are preparations to keep constant vigil in major areas like Vishnupad Temple, Ghats, Akshayvat, Sitakund, Pretshila and Tent City. The fire department team is also checking the sensitive places before the start of the fair and giving instructions to the concerned departments for necessary improvements.
There is very little time left for the Pitru Paksha fair to start in Gayaji. In such a situation, monitoring of security and emergency arrangements is likely to increase in the coming days. Control room for power supply, fire department investigation, surveillance through CCTV and drones, deployment of police force and system of help centers are being activated simultaneously. The purpose of all these arrangements is to respond quickly to any emergency during the fair and to keep the movement of devotees safe.