Although the main phase of the Ijtema starts on Friday, thousands of Tabligh members in small and large groups -- all clad in tupee and punjabi -- have come to the banks of the Turag River in Tongi since Wednesday on buses, trucks, trains, and also on foot.
Entering the ground with enthusiasm, they started looking for their designated place and unpacking the bags as they would stay there for a few days, till the Akheri Munajat of the first phase on Sunday.
Maulana Zobair will participate in the first phase of the Ijtema, while the followers of New Delhi-based Maulana Saad Kandhalvi will observe the Ijtema from January 20-22.
After the 55th World Ijtema was held in 2020, the event remained suspended for the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Like every year, the sermons will be delivered in Urdu and translated into Bengali and Arabic for the convenience of pilgrims from different countries
Due to the rush of pilgrims, traffic congestion was seen on the roads in Tongi and Uttara on Thursday.
The whole ground was almost full on Wednesday evening, with pilgrims from different corners of the country braving a biting cold. The Aam Bayan began after dawn on Thursday, engineer Abdun Noor, a member of the International Ijtema Organizing Committee, said.
“Tabligh followers completed almost all the preparations for the Ijtema voluntarily in about two months. A large field of about 1 square kilometer has been covered with jute fabrics using bamboo poles,” he added.
Special arrangements have been made for the foreign Muslims on the ground. Moreover, the northwest corner of the ground has been reserved for accommodation for the foreign Tablighi Muslims. The Muslims of some countries have already taken their place in the Ijtema field.
Representatives of Gazipur district administration, Gazipur City Corporation, Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) and RAB are available on the entire ground.
Deputy Commissioner Anisur Rahman said their executive magistrates would be on alert to prevent irregularities. Local MP and State Minister for Youth and Sports Zahid Ahsan Russel inaugurated two deep tube wells in the Ijtema field on Wednesday morning.
Alamgir Miah, the executive engineer of the Directorate of Public Health Engineering, said they had built 31 toilet buildings to serve around 9,000 people at the same time. Moreover, arrangements have been made for drinking water and uninterrupted power supply, while the Fire Service has been kept ready to tackle any situation.
On the other hand, the BRTC and Bangladesh Railways have arranged special bus and train services to carry the pilgrims.
Bangladesh Army has constructed five floating bridges on the river on the western side of the Ijtema Maidan.
GMP Commissioner Mollah Nazrul Islam said maximum security measures had been taken in the Ijtema Maidan and surrounding areas. “In two phases, more than 10,000 law enforcers will perform their duties,” he said, adding that they had set up 14 control rooms.
Jahangir Alam, supervisor of Shahid Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital, said the health department had made all preparations to provide free health services for the participants. “Five camps have been set up on the Ijtema ground to provide free medicine and consultation,” he said, adding that seven specialist medical teams would be deployed for the Ijtema.
