Villagers make hay as Kalchakra pilgrims desert leaking tents

GAYA: The running of electric current in the wet and leaking tents put up to accommodate several thousand Kalchakra pilgrims on the Magadh University (MU) premises came as a windfall for the villagers of Bhagalpur, Rampur, Baijubigha, Miapur etc. As the inmates deserted the electrocution prone tents to find temporary sheds over their head to brave the drizzle and the cold, the villagers are accommodating the hapless pilgrims in their not so comfortable homes at fancy rents.
Cursing the event organizers for the apparent mismanagement, Chopel, a pilgrim from Nepal, said the leaking tents had spoiled the show as, instead of concentrating on the mega rituals, the devotees had to run from pillar to post along with their families to escape electrocution and rain.
Chopel wondered how the organizers were allowed to use uninsulated wire in the tent area, thereby, putting the pilgrims to risk. The onus lay with the organizers as well as the Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) officials, said an apparently upset pilgrim. Attempts to get the version of the event organizers proved futile as Thumpten Jampa, joint secretary of the organizing committee, excused himself on the plea of attending an important meet.
Asked how the event organizers were given power connection without putting the infrastructure to test, the BSEB's Magadh Area Board general manager said the Kalchakra Puja organizers were high tension (HT) consumers of the board and in the case of HT consumers, the board's responsibility ended at the point where transformers were installed and the point beyond the transformer had to be taken care by the consumers, the organizing committee in this case.
The tents wore a deserted look, as according to Sushil Mishra, executive officer of the Bodh Gaya Nagar Panchayat, the organizers have washed their hands off and put the event in the "auto mode" where nobody appeared to be in control of anything.
Ignoring or unmindful of the faux pas created by the event organizers, Dalai Lama, the living symbol of Buddhism, wore his brand smile while delivering sermons on the finer aspects of spiritualism and healthy conduct. The devotees, putting up in hotels and monasteries, reported on time for the rituals and Dalai Lama sermons (teaching as they call it). The event will continue till January 10, 2012.