Varanasi. On Friday evening, the stones of the platform sat in 300 square feet at Dashashwamedh Ghat, which has the maximum crowd of devotees and tourists. At a short distance from the Ganga Aarti site of Gangotri Seva Samiti, suddenly the stones started sliding and in no time it went down to five feet. A female devotee fell in it. The people on the ghat immediately pulled him out.
Incident happened immediately after Ganga Aarti
It was good that after the Ganga Aarti incident, people had gone towards the outpost to receive Aarti and Prasad. The side of the affected area was empty. Had the stones moved during the Aarti, a major accident could not be ruled out. As a precautionary measure, the people of Aarti Samiti surrounded the concerned site with checkpoints.
Expressed concern about the crowd on New Year
It is being told that three to four years ago a mini tube well was installed in the nearby street. His boring was spoiled. When the reboring started, water was also coming out from the affected area. At that time also people had expressed concern about the ghat being damaged. There is maximum crowd at this ghat on festivals. In the evening, there is no place even to keep sesame during the Aarti. The concern of the people was that now only a day later the New Year crowd would descend on the Ghats and Makar Sankranti is also after a fortnight. If the ghat is not repaired soon, there may be a problem. People also conveyed their concern to MLA Dr. Neelkanth Tiwari who reached the spot. He directed the officers of the Municipal Corporation to carry out repairs immediately.
cutting is not the reason
Erosion is also believed to be the reason behind the stones of the Ghat sitting like this. The reason is that for almost a decade the pressure of the Ganges water is towards the Ghat. Due to this many ghats are getting hollow from below. Scientists have also expressed concern in this regard.
oldest ghat
Dashashwamedh is considered the oldest in the Ghat series of the Ganges. According to historical evidence, it was built by Maratha Bajirao Peshwa in the year 1735. At that time it was extended from Ahilyabai Ghat to Rajendra Prasad Ghat. In order to give new life to the ghats, in 1965, the state government also renovated it. From time to time, the Ghat was given a new look.