The state capital has started warming up for the June 21 International Yoga Day event in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is supposed to perform asanas along with 50,000 people.
On Friday morning, three earthmovers were seen levelling the ground where schoolchildren, police, military and paramilitary personnel besides government officials and NGO volunteers are expected to perform yoga from 6.30am to 7.45am on June 21, wearing specially made T-shirts.
Drain construction work is also on in full swing to prevent water from accumulating in any part of the ground in case of heavy rain, given that the monsoon is likely to arrive in Jharkhand the day before the yoga event. Police personnel were seen deputed already.
“I think very soon the ground will become a centre of attraction and people will remember it as Yoga Maidan,” said a smiling Sunil Pandey, a non-teaching staff of Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir in the locality.
Deputy commissioner Rai Mahimapat Ray confirmed that work had begun at the ground.
“We are taking care to prepare the ground to ensure that 50,000 people can perform yoga comfortably. Apart from the ground-levelling work, we have also deputed sufficient number of personnel to ensure proper security to the ground in the wake of the Prime Minister’s visit,” Ray said after inspecting the ground, which is spread over 7 lakh square feet area close to the JSCA stadium, St Thomas School and Prabhat Tara School.
Health secretary Nitin Kulkarni also held a meeting with district administration officials on Thursday to ensure the success of the programme and made it clear that participation in the programme will be done through online entry, which will start from June 10.
Nodal officers will be appointed in each department to oversee the online entries.
Participants will be provided an entry pass and T-shirt two days before the programme, administration sources said. Participants will have to reach the venue between 3am and 5am. They will be provided breakfast and water at the venue. The final rehearsal will be held on June 19.
