Staff Reporter :
The first phase of Biswa Ijtema, one of the biggest congregations of Muslims, begins today (Friday) on the bank of the river Turag at Tongi, on the outskirts of the capital amid tight security.
The congregation, also called the World Muslims Congregation, will start formally with religious sermons after Fazr prayers today and it will end with Akheri Munajat (final prayers) on Sunday.
Then the second phase of the Biswa Ijtema will begin from January 20 after four days interval and it will conclude on January 22. The Biswa Ijtema split into two phases from 2011 for the convenience of the devotees. The Biswa Ijtema has been taking place in Bangladesh since 1967.
A huge congregation, numbering tens of thousands, is expected on Friday at Jumma prayers. Devotees from home and abroad are still arriving at the Ijtema venue.
“All development works of the Ijtema field have been completed,” said Mawlana M Gias Uddin, a spokesman of the Ijtema preparation committee.
He added the development works including power, gas, water, toilets, bathrooms and loudspeaker installation in the Ijtema ground have already been completed.
Sources at Biswa Ijtema in Tongi said thousands of devotees from home and abroad continued to throng the venue to take part in the 72-hour religious event since Thursday morning.
“Tight security measures have been taken for the event with several thousand members of different law-enforcement agencies, including elite force Rapid Action Battalion and police are in place at the Ijtema venue,” Harunur Rashid, Superintendent of Gazipur Police told journalists. Besides, thousands of volunteers are working round the clock to make sure the event runs smoothly.
Several health centres have been set up at different parts of the venue along with beds and first aid and other treatment facilities round-the-clock.
Special measures have been taken for uninterrupted power supply during the three-day Ijtema.
Muslim devotees from Gazipur, Manikganj, Mymensingh, Tangail, Munshiganj, Gopalganj, Kishoreganj, Rangpur, Syedpur, Rajbari, Shariatpur, Dinajpur, Joypurhat, Lalmonirhat, Bandarban, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Chandpur, B’baria, Noakhali, Hobiganj, Moulvibazar, Barisal, Naogaon, Pabna, Kustia, Chapainawabganj, Meherpur, Satkhira, Jessore and Bagerhat are participating the first phase of the Ijtema.
An official of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) said that a total of 228 buses would ply on different routes for carrying the Ijtema devotees. In addition to this, BRTC special bus services also will be plied from January 11 to January 24, he added.
Several control rooms, nine watch towers and a number of close circuit camera televisions have been set up in and around of the Ijtema ground alongside with deployment of bomb disposal and dog squads, incidents to make the security foolproof.
A number of patrol teams of the police and RAB have been asked to remain alert to avert any untoward incident. Two speed boats of the RAB are set to patrol the Turag River while helicopters will over the Ijtema ground from the sky to make the security foolproof.
Patrol teams of both in land and river will stop illegal entrance into the Khitta (area) allocated for the foreigners.
According to agency, intermediate patrol team have been entrusted with stopping any sorts of petty crimes such as snatching, pick-pocketing, and the activities of ogyan (dope) party.
A striking force has been kept ready to act immediately in case of any emergency.
Traffic/car parking management:
Police is set to take special measures ahead of the two phases Biswa Ijtema on the bank of the river Turag at Tongi scheduled to be held from January 13-15 and January 20-22 to ease the traffic snarl. The measure will come into effect at 10 pm on January 14 and 10 pm on January 21, according to an official release of police headquarters.
Vehicles will not be allowed to ply on Ashulia Bridge to Abdullahpur via Progoti Saroni and on the Tongi Bridge via Gazipur intersection during the period, it said, adding that the vehicles carrying passengers and crews of aircrafts, fire fighting vehicles and ambulance will be out the restriction.
The vehicles coming from Ghorashal via Kaliganj-Pubail can move till East Markul (K-2) of Tongi Railway Station while Dhaka bound vehicles can use Kanchpur-Jatrabari road coming from Dhaka-Sylhet highway via Ghorashal.
Ijtema goers can use Bailey-Bridge or Kamarpara Bridge instead of Tongi Bridge to reach the Ijtema venue on feet.
Police also fixed some places for parking of vehicles. Gausul Azam Avenue has been fixed for parking of vehicles of Dhaka Metropolitan City and Chittagong division while Sonargaon intersection to Diabari Khalpar for Dhaka division, Shahmakhdum Avenue at sector 12 for Sylhet division, open places of sector 16 and 18 of Uttara for Khulna division, Kamarpara truck stand and sector 10 for Rangpur division, Protshya Housing for Rajshahi and Mymensingh divisions, Dhaur Bridge adjacent areas and BIWTA landing station for Barisal division and Shahjalal Avenue, Nikunja-1 and Nikunja-2 areas for Dhaka Metropolitan.
Tongi Kaderia Textile Mill, Meghna Textile Mill, Shafiuddin Sarker Academy, TIC field, Badre Alam College, truck stand of Joydebpur intersection, Chandana High School field Navy cigarette factory at Tongi have been fixed for parking of vehicles of Gazipur while fields of Ashulia College and Ashulia High School for Dhaka district.
