WB govt mulls e-snan app for Gangasagar Mela amid Covid-19 pandemic

The West Bengal government plans to introduce an e-snan mobile application for devotees, who would not be able to attend the Gangasagar mela due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sources in the state administration said the decision was taken at a meeting of senior government officials on Thursday.

“The mobile application is meant for those who would not be able to attend the Gangasagar mela due to the ongoing pandemic. We have already introduced an e-darshan application,” said a senior official.

He also said enforcing social distancing norms and health protocols among devotees to avoid a spurt in Covid-19 cases after the fair was the government’s top priority.

The government had planned to set up a Covid Hospital at the venue, the Sagar Island located at the confluence of the river Hooghly and the Bay of Bengal. It was also planning to set up Covid-19 testing facility at the island for pilgrims and making masks mandatory for everyone at the venue.

The Gangasagar Mela, scheduled to be held in January, is the second-largest religious congregation in the country after the Kumbh Mela and witnesses a gathering of nearly 40 lakh people.