Kangra: Devotees have started arriving at the Radha Soami Satsang Beas centre at Paraur in Kangra district ahead of the two-day satsang gathering scheduled for October 3 and 4. Large numbers of members of the sangat were seen near the main gate of the Paraur Satsang Ghar and along the Pathankot-Mandi National Highway (NH-154) from Thursday morning.
The gathering is expected to draw a massive congregation, with officials anticipating around 90,000 to 95,000 devotees from most part of the state. The number of devotees could rise to between 100,000 and 200,000 by late Saturday night.
The event is being organised at the Paraur centre by Radha Soami Satsang Beas spiritual head Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon and Huzur Jasdeep Singh Gill.
Extensive arrangements have been made at the satsang complex, which covers nearly 800 kanals, to accommodate the large gathering and facilitate the movement of devotees.
The district administration and police have put in place a special traffic diversion and parking plan from October 2 to October 5. Around 120 police personnel will be deployed to regulate traffic and manage the movement of vehicles around the satsang centre.
The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) has also arranged additional buses from various depots to facilitate the movement of devotees. Control rooms have been established at nine key locations to coordinate transport and traffic arrangements.
Under the parking plan, vehicles arriving from Pathankot will have designated parking arrangements depending on their size. Heavy vehicles, including buses, trucks and tempos, will be parked at designated sites along NH-154 between Darang and the satsang centre, while light vehicles will be parked at the Government Senior Secondary School, Darang.
Vehicles arriving from Mandi, Palampur and Sujanpur will be diverted through the Paraur railway crossing. Heavy vehicles will be parked at designated grounds in Paraur village, while cars and two-wheelers will be accommodated at the Government Middle School, Paraur, near the railway station, and along the Paraur-Lahla road.
Several route diversions have also been announced to ensure smoother traffic movement during the gathering.
Heavy vehicles travelling from Malan towards Palampur will be diverted through the Malan-Dhad-Nagri route. Similarly, vehicles travelling from Palampur towards Malan will be routed through Nagri-Dhad.
Traffic coming from Dhira will be diverted towards the Paraur-Lahla-Gopalpur and Darati routes. Vehicles travelling from Palampur towards Paraur will be diverted through Menjha Road towards Nagri.
Vehicles coming from Hoshiarpur will be diverted from the Kangra bypass towards Kachhiyari and Tanda.
The diversions will apply to vehicles during the specified period, except heavy vehicles, buses, army vehicles, ambulances and VVIP/VIP convoys, as specified by the police administration.
The administration has appealed to motorists and the general public to use only designated routes and parking areas and strictly follow traffic regulations and instructions issued by the police.
The police have also cautioned motorists about ongoing four-laning work near Paraur, which could further affect traffic movement. Commuters have been advised to avoid unauthorised routes and follow the prescribed diversions to prevent congestion and inconvenience.
With devotees already beginning to arrive and a much larger influx expected over the next two days, authorities are preparing for heavy traffic on the highways and local roads surrounding Paraur.
