I had written a lot about travel logistics from my last trip to Gangasagar. This year, it is simple. Posting a brilliant website, but hidden as a well-kept secret. It is almost timeless- very little changes year to year. A great resource for travelers researching on how to go to this momentous event. Here it is: http://74.50.58.66/gangasagar/help/archive/2.pdf
And here is a narrative from my trip few years ago:
I spent an enormous amount of time researching the travel logistics for the Ganga Sagar trip. Very little authentic information is available. Officially, the place is 124 km from Kolkata. But anecdotal travel time estimates varied between 4-10 hours. This is because it is not one continuous journey. The first phase of the journey is to the ferry point. One can avail the bus services of State Transport Corporations or private transport operators from Howrah Station / Outram ghat / Esplanade, Kolkata to reach either Lot No. 8 or Namkhana. The distance from Kolkata to Lot No. 8 is 94 KM and the distance from Kolkata to Namkhana is 108 KM by road.
The government bus service to Lot 8 is best- charges Rs. 60; seating assured; travels non-stop till destination. More than 500 buses are deployed to carry pilgrims. One can also avail the local train services from Sealdah south section by availing down Kakdwip Local/Namkhana Local to alight (i) at Kakdwip railway station and then proceed to Lot No.8 by rickshaw van or by walking. The distance from Kakdwip railway station to Lot No.8 is 6 KM by road or (ii) at Namkhana railway station and then avail the Launches from the nearby Jetties. Then you have to board a ferry, which takes about 45 minutes to cross the vast Muriganga river. The vessels from Harwood point are larger and more frequent. From Namkhana, the wooden launches ply. Fare is Rs. 40-60. Private vehicles are not allowed to cross the ferry from Jan 2 till Jan 17, except without specific prior permission. At other times, the rate for crossing a car is Rs. 260. Except from Namkhana and Harwood Point, there is also a direct ferry service available to Kachuberia from Haldia; but such services are suspended at the time of Mela. The ferry takes you to the northern end of this Sri-Lanka shaped island, to a place named Kachuberia. From there, the Ganga Sagar, which is at the extreme southern end of the island, is 30 km. At normal times, this can take about 45 min. Bus fare is Rs. 30 and a reserved taxi/car will cost around Rs. 500. It is tempting to add up these estimated travel times and arrive at a total of about 4-5 hours. It doesn’t work that way during the days of the Mela- I realized the hard way.
WHERE TO STAY:
NOTE: All govt and private accommodations in Kakdwip, Namkhana and Sagar Blocks are taken over by Govt and comes under S24P DM from Jan 7 till Jan 16. So none are available unless you have serious contacts in the right places. At other times, these are the standard accomodations available:
Larica Sagar Vihar (a 1*star Hotel)
South 24 Parganas, Gangasagar, West Bengal 743606
Phone: (3210) – 240226-227 / +91 32 4022 6227 Fax 22404358
Booking: 74 Park Street, Kolkata -700017 Phone 22403583 / 22404537
State Youth Hostel- Double bed room with attached bath: Rs. 100/day. Check in time: 12 noon. (Booking: Directorate of Youth Services, 32/1, B.B.D. Bag (South), Kol-1. Ph: +91-33 2248 0626)
Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Ramkrishna Mission, Shankaracharya Ashram; couple of other ashrams.
Howrah Welfare Trust at Radhanagar- http://www.gangasagarmela.com
PWD, PHED, Irrigation, Zila Parishad Bungalows; Circuit House.
It is also useful to have the tide information- the frequency of vessels during low tide is extremely low. So, if you are a smart traveler, note the following:
TIDE INFORMATION:
Date: 13th January 2012
Time (in Hrs.)- Height (in m.)
0.06 - 5.06
6.57 - 0.82
12.33 - 4.8
18.58 - 0.95
Date: 14th January 2012
Time (in Hrs.) Height (in m.)
0.45 - 4.95
7.33 - 0.86
13.14 - 4.73
19.37 - 1.11
Date: 15th January 2012
Time (in Hrs.) Height (in m.)
1.26 - 4.78
8.09 - 0.96
13.56 - 4.6
20.20 - 1.33
Also it is important to carry some important phone numbers- here's my partial list; after taking out the cellphone numbers to protect the privacy of the senior officials (there is no assurance that the same person will be on duty next year- so landline numbers are better for future use):
Call Center Toll Free Number: 1-800-3453220
Civil Administration:
• A.D.M. (L.R.) & Point-in-Charge, Namkhana:
• A.D.M. (Dev.) & Point-in-Charge, Kachuberia:
• A.D.M. (L.A.) & Point-in-Charge, Lot No. 8:
• Camp office of ADM(G) and Mela Officer (Circuit House Annexe 1st floor) (Hot Line) 03210-240803
• Liaison Officer, Ganga Sagar Mela (Mela Office) 03210-240804
• Control Room at Mela Office (Hot Line) 03210-240805
Police Administration:
• Superintendent of Police: Mela Tent: 03210-240826
• S.D.P.O., Kakdwip:
• Main Police Control at Sagar 03210-240824
• Main Police Control at Sagar 03210-240825
• Transport camp near Mela Office 03210-240806
• Bharat Sevashram Sangha with one parallel line at bus stand at Sagar: 03210-240811; 2440-5178 (Kolkata)
• CMOH:(Camp: 03210-240813)
• DEPUTY CMOH-II:
• Hospital at Mela ground: 03210-240814
Armed with all this pieces of wisdom, I finally embarked on my trip to Ganga Sagar 2012!
2015 UPDATE (information courtesy Government advertisement for Ganga Sagar Mela 2015)
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