Deoghar, June 30: Liquor will be prohibited in Deoghar and Basukinath during the month-long �Shravani Mela� beginning July 10 to August 7.
Chief Minister Raghubar Das, who chaired a review meeting with top officials here, issued the directions that there will not be any sale of any type of liquor in the entire area of Deoghar and Basukinath during the fair, an official release said.
He also directed that no tax/toll will be charged from devotees coming from all across the world during the fair.
The chief minister, while presiding over the general council meeting of the Baba Baidyanath Dham and Basukinath Dham Pilgrimage Centres Development Authority, announced that Ajitanand Ojha will be the �sardar panda� (head) on July 4 with all traditional rituals.
Das directed the Information and Public Relations Department to publicise both fairs at national level through broadcasting of Baidyanath Dham and Basukinath Dham fairs on national channels.
He said branding of these two fairs should be ensured in such a manner that more and more tourists and pilgrims visit these places and the fairs be recognised nationally, the release said.
In the meeting, Das directed Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma that the drinking water problem of Deoghar be sorted out by completing the Punasi and the Chandan water supply schemes at the earliest.
Besides Verma, other top officials who attended the meeting were Principal Secretary to the Urban Development Ministry, Arun Kumar Singh, Director General of Police D K Pandey and others.