Next Time Event of this Magnitude Should be Organised in Coordination with RWCS
A Bhagwat Katha was orga-nised by some residents at Shiv Shakti Mandir in July. Starting July 23, the Bhagwat Katha lasted for 7 days. The Shiv Mandir saw a large influx of devotees daily who thronged the temple. A Bhandara was organised on the last day, which saw hordes of people (including some from Nithari) throng the area.
The Katha and Bhandara, unfortunately, caused problems for the residents who lived in the vicinity of the temple. Some flagged the loudspeaker blaring throughout the day, pointing out that the decibel level was higher than the permitted level and caused problems not only for the elderly, the children, and those on WFH but may have also caused problems for the school children and patients in two hospitals in the vicinity of the temple.
Residents whose houses are near the temple posted on WhatsApp throughout the week about vehicles blocking their gates and also the roads as they parked where they liked, and on being asked to remove their cars, they responded with statements like ’Dus minute ke liye hi toh gaye the’ and ’mandir ke paas ghar hi kyun liya.’
The day the Bhandara was held left a lot of plastic waste as plates were thrown randomly on the roads and residents’ parked cars were used as dining tables. The road was jammed with vehicles, and there was a huge rush for Prasad. Some devotees lost their footwear, and there was one case of chain snatching too.
One only has to look at Kalibari Mandir, whose management committee has, over the years, started coordinating with the RWCS and the police to manage crowds and traffic and keep the surrounding area clean. One hopes that whenever religious events are organised at the temple, the organisers will pay heed to these points too.
