RAWALPINDI, March 8: The district government on Saturday ordered setting up of a control room for overseeing Muharram activities, officials said.

The control room has been set up in the building of the fire brigade opposite Gordon College and will be manned by personnel of the health department, Wasa, Sui Gas and Tehsil Municipal Administration. The control room can be accessed on telephone number 5770565.

They said Wapda had been instructed to ensure uninterrupted power supply during Majalis, Muharram processions and Majalis-i- Sham-i-Ghariban.

Wasa has been asked to get Chah Sultan Road repaired immediately so that there is no obstruction during the Mehndi procession.

The officials said Wasa had also been asked to supply sufficient drinking water to places of Majalis and processions.

District Health Officer Dr Shoaib Khan, while intimating the meeting about the health departments’ preparations for Muharram processions, said ambulances would be provided by the department in the rural areas, while in the city the three autonomous hospitals would provide two ambulances each for the Ashura processions. These ambulances would be fully equipped and manned by doctors and paramedical staff, he said.

TMO Col Najamul Hassan told the meeting that construction material and other obstructions lying in the routes of the processions were being removed. Patch work of roads in Bangash Colony and Khayaban-i-Sir Syed, he said, was underway. All these preparations would be complete by 8th of Muharram, he added.