Authorities in Patna are ensuring safe Ram Navami celebrations with the 40-foot statue of Lord Ram. Electricity supply will be cut on procession routes, and low hanging wires are being addressed. Officials inspected the route, focusing on crowd management, medical facilities and road repairs.

Patna: As the Ram Navami puja committee is all set to take out the 40 feet tall idol of Lord Ram, the district administration has directed the South Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (SBPDCL) to take all precautionary measures to prevent electric shock or accident.The idol of Lord Ram will be placed on a crane which will further increase its height.When contacted, SBPDCL executive engineer (Gaya urban) Azad Kumar Singh said work was being done to fix the low hanging distribution cables. The discom is also planning to switch off power supply along the Ram Navami procession route to ensure the safety of the participants.According to Mani Lal Barik, general secretary of Ram Navami Puja Committee, a total of 105 processions will be taken out from different parts of the city and the highest number (30) will be taken out from Vishnupad area.Barik clarified that there is no tradition of distributing swords among the participants in the procession and the weapons are given only to the three best performing Akharas.On Monday, District Magistrate Shashank Subhankar and SSP Sushil Kumar inspected the procession route from Azad Park to Vishnupad. As per traditions, all the processions gather near Azad Park and then move towards Vishnupad.Officials have been briefed about crowd management protocols. DM said that adequate medical facilities and proper lighting will be ensured near Azad Park. During the inspection, the DM saw open drains and rough roads on the procession route. Expressing his displeasure, the DM directed the officials to cover the drains and level the road surface.Strong barricading is being arranged near the Kali temple in Murarpur. This is considered a very sensitive point, hence there will be CCTV coverage, adequate lighting and deputation of magistrates. A mini control room will also be set up near the Kali temple.As per the instructions of DM, high level vigilance will be maintained in areas with mixed population and sensitive identified places. The DM also directed the Executive Engineer of SBPDCL to inform the electricity consumers in advance about the power cut during the procession. Electricity consumers will have to send SMS messages indicating the duration of power cuts in different areas.