Jammu: The annual Jhiri Mela, one of the region’s major religious and cultural gatherings, will commence on November 23 at the shrine of Baba Jittoo in Jhiri village, around 20 km from Jammu city along the Jammu–Akhnoor Highway, and continue for 11 days, officials said on Sunday.
The fair, held every year on the occasion of Kartik Purnima, is expected to draw lakhs of devotees from Jammu and Kashmir and neighbouring states including Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, who gather to pay obeisance to Baba Jittoo and his daughter Bua Kouri.
The mela commemorates the supreme sacrifice of Baba Jittoo, a farmer who, according to local folklore, laid down his life nearly 500 years ago in protest against the oppressive demands of a landlord (zamindar). His daughter, Bua Kouri, is also revered for having sacrificed her life by jumping onto her father’s funeral pyre.
Jammu’s Deputy Commissioner Minga Sherpa, who recently held a meeting to review preparations for the festival, pushed for making foolproof fire safety and crowd management arrangements at the venue to prevent any untoward incident.
Officials said the meeting reviewed the work assigned to different departments, including installation of CCTV, public address systems, traffic management, sanitation, healthcare services and security.
On fire safety, the Deputy Commissioner asked that arrangements be thoroughly and extensively reviewed and ensured.
He mandated fire walls, fire extinguishers and adequate water supply arrangements at the Mela site, besides directing that parking spaces be prepared well in time and that the entire Mela area be properly illuminated.
He also gave specific directions for crowd regulation and the prevention of stampedes or similar incidents.
The officials said sanitation works, repair of toilet complexes and bathing ghats, bush cutting and barricading on key approach roads, along with allied works, will be completed well ahead of the Mela.
Health centres, round-the-clock ambulances and mobile medicine vans will be in place before the festival begins, while a 24×7 Joint Control Room with CCTV monitoring will coordinate the response of all line departments, they said.
The officials said trained volunteers will assist pilgrims, rescue teams and equipment will be stationed at Bawa Talab, where the devotees take the dip, and designated parking zones along with public transport facilities will ensure smooth movement of devotees.
Daily cultural and Bhakti nights, sports activities, an amusement park, a Mela bazaar, departmental awareness stalls and Dogra cuisine will be among the attractions of the Mela, the officials said.
