Biharsharif: The Nalanda district administration on Tuesday enforced extensive security and crowd management measures at the Sheetla Mata Temple located at Maghra village under Deepnagar police station area, a week after a tragic stampede claimed the lives of nine devotees. Devotees have now been barred from entering the sanctum and are allowed to offer prayers from outside the shrine.A large number of police personnel along with magistrates were deployed across the temple premises to maintain strict vigil on Tuesday. However, the rush of the devotees remained moderate. The administration also introduced several infrastructure changes to streamline the movement of devotees. The old narrow staircase used to reach the shrine has been replaced with a wider ramp to allow smoother flow of people. Separate barricaded queues have been created for male and female devotees, while several temporary and illegal structures along the temple approach path have been removed.
A one-way crowd movement system has also been introduced. After offering prayers from outside the sanctum, devotees are guided to leave through two separate exit gates at the rear of the temple premises to avoid congestion.The stampede occurred on March 31 during a heavy rush of devotees after which the police registered an FIR against 40 people, including members of the suspended temple management committee, priests and others associated with the temple’s arrangements.
