Thousands throng Tongi as Ijtema begins tomorrow

Thousands of devotees have started gathering at the venue of Biswa Ijtema, scheduled to start tomorrow on the banks of the Turag river at Tongi in Gazipur district. The ground, comprising 165 acres, has been prepared to accommodate at least two million devotees from home and 150 other countries.
Around 45 per cent of the devotees have already arrived. All the camps will be filled by today, said organisers. The Tablig-e-Jamaat has been organising the gathering, the second largest congregation of Muslims after the Hajj, since 1976.
The first phase of the Ijtema will end on Sunday. The second phase will begin on January 15 and end on the 17th.
Devotees from 32 districts will be able to perform the Ijtema in the two phases, organisers said.
The 17 districts that will take part in the first phase are Dhaka, Sherpur, Narayanganj, Nilphamari, Sirajganj, Natore, Gaibandha , Lakshmipur, Sylhet, Chittagong, Narail, Madaripur, Bhola, Magura, Patuakhali, Jhalakathi and Panchagarh. Devotees from the remaining 15 districts will join the Ijtema on January 15.
People from the other 32 districts will attend the Ijtema next year. But the restriction is not applicable to foreigners.
“We have divided 64 districts in four phases due to space shortage. From now on, devotees from a district will be able to attend the Ijtema every two years,” Gias Uddin, one of the organisers of the Ijtema, told The Independent.
A five-tier security has been set up in and around the Ijtema ground.
Gazipur’s police superintendent, Harunur Rashid, said that to ensure security, some 12,000 security personnel, including police, will be deployed in and around the Ijtema ground, while plainclothesmen, disguised as devotees, will take up position in 16 khittas (zones) inside the ground.
He said a central control room, five branches of control rooms, 60 closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs), observation towers, and 10 archways have already been installed to make the security fool-proof. Besides, 20 magistrates and mobile courts will conduct drives to maintain law and order. Checking will continue through binoculars and metal detectors.
To assist the army, six floating bridges have been built on the Turag river. Besides, 12 more toilets have been added to the previous 17. Considering security of the foreigners, their camps have been built separately.
Quarters for foreigners in the north-east part of the ground are equipped with all possible facilities, including gas, power and telephone connections. The sermon stage is in its east. More than 500 clerics from various countries will speak from there. The main sermons are given in Urdu, but later explained in other languages.
Moreover, some maps showing directions for camps for the devotees of a respective district have been hung at different points of the ground.
Medical camps are being installed adjacent to Mannu gate, Bata gate, Atlas Honda gate, and foreigners' camps, to provide free treatment to devotees, said Gazipur civil surgeon Haider Ali Khan.
To ensure proper health services, the Tongi General Hospital will extend its beds from 50 to 150-200. Some ambulances will be kept ready near the medical control room for easy movement to Dhaka, he said.

 

Thousands throng Tongi as Ijtema begins tomorrow

Thousands of devotees have started gathering at the venue of Biswa Ijtema, scheduled to start tomorrow on the banks of the Turag river at Tongi in Gazipur district. The ground, comprising 165 acres, has been prepared to accommodate at least two million devotees from home and 150 other countries. Around 45 per cent of the devotees have already arrived. All the camps will be filled by today, said organisers. The Tablig-e-Jamaat has been organising the gathering, the second largest congregation of Muslims after the Hajj, since 1976. The first phase of the Ijtema will end on Sunday. The second phase will begin on January 15 and end on the 17th. Devotees from 32 districts will be able to perform the Ijtema in the two phases, organisers said. The 17 districts that will take part in the first phase are Dhaka, Sherpur, Narayanganj, Nilphamari, Sirajganj, Natore, Gaibandha , Lakshmipur, Sylhet, Chittagong, Narail, Madaripur, Bhola, Magura, Patuakhali, Jhalakathi and Panchagarh. Devotees from the remaining 15 districts will join the Ijtema on January 15. People from the other 32 districts will attend the Ijtema next year. But the restriction is not applicable to foreigners. We have divided 64 districts in four phases due to space shortage. From now on, devotees from a district will be able to attend the Ijtema every two years, Gias Uddin, one of the organisers of the Ijtema, told The Independent. A five-tier security has been set up in and around the Ijtema ground. Gazipurs police superintendent, Harunur Rashid, said that to ensure security, some 12,000 security personnel, including police, will be deployed in and around the Ijtema ground, while plainclothesmen, disguised as devotees, will take up position in 16 khittas (zones) inside the ground. He said a central control room, five branches of control rooms, 60 closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs), observation towers, and 10 archways have already been installed to make the security fool-proof. Besides, 20 magistrates and mobile courts will conduct drives to maintain law and order. Checking will continue through binoculars and metal detectors. To assist the army, six floating bridges have been built on the Turag river. Besides, 12 more toilets have been added to the previous 17. Considering security of the foreigners, their camps have been built separately. Quarters for foreigners in the north-east part of the ground are equipped with all possible facilities, including gas, power and telephone connections. The sermon stage is in its east. More than 500 clerics from various countries will speak from there. The main sermons are given in Urdu, but later explained in other languages. Moreover, some maps showing directions for camps for the devotees of a respective district have been hung at different points of the ground. Medical camps are being installed adjacent to Mannu gate, Bata gate, Atlas Honda gate, and foreigners camps, to provide free treatment to devotees, said Gazipur civil surgeon Haider Ali Khan. To ensure proper health services, the Tongi General Hospital will extend its beds from 50 to 150-200. Some ambulances will be kept ready near the medical control room for easy movement to Dhaka, he said.