Urs celebrations begin

Large number of devotees throng Data's shrine

LAHORE:

The three-day celebrations of the 981st Urs of Data Ganj Bakhsh begun on Saturday.

A large number of people thronged the shrine on the first day of the celebrations.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Punjab Food Minister Bilal Yasin and Auqaf Secretary Dr Tahir Raza Bukhari participated in the 'chadar poshi' ceremony.

The inauguration of the 'milk Sabeel' and the expansion project of the shrine also took place. Canopies will be installed in the shrine's courtyard.

Food Minister Bilal Yasin said security and other arrangements had been made for hundreds of thousands of devotees. Posters for guidance have been placed along the entry routes to the city leading to the shrine.

Due to the large number of visitors and security concerns, walk-through gates have also been installed on the routes leading to the shrine. The Urs celebrations will continue until Monday.

The Auqaf department has been allocated Rs13.5 million for making arrangements for distributing food among visitors and for other events.

The Auqaf secretary said the security arrangements included the installation of 144 closed-circuit cameras, the establishment of a separate control room and installation of 18 LCDs by the police along with the deployment of 4,000 personnel.

Camp offices of other departments for the convenience of the public have also been set up along with help counters.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP