Prayagraj witnessed extreme visitors congestion on Sunday as lakhs of devotees thronged the Maha Kumbh Mela, resulting in lengthy snarls on key routes. Samajwadi Social gathering president Akhilesh Yadav criticized the Uttar Pradesh authorities and urged instant emergency preparations for stranded pilgrims.
The Prayagraj Sangam railway station was shut down as a result of overwhelming crowd exterior. Based on the truthful administration, over 1.42 crore devotees took a dip within the Ganga and Sangam by 6 pm on Sunday. The entire footfall has now surpassed 42 crore.
Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh: Extreme visitors jams have disrupted the Prayagraj Mahakumbh for 2 days, with devotees caught for hours. Regardless of sealed entry factors, your entire metropolis stays congested, affecting each highway and practice journey pic.twitter.com/OWS9jMiILs
— IANS (@ians_india) February 10, 2025
Yadav took to social media, posting on X, “Emergency preparations must be made instantly for the crores of devotees stranded in Prayagraj Maha Kumbh. The hungry, thirsty, distressed and drained pilgrims within the visitors jam in all places must be checked out with a humane perspective. Is the frequent devotee not a human being?”
Highlighting the extreme congestion, he wrote, “There’s already a jam in Nawabganj, 30 km earlier than Prayagraj from Lucknow, in Gauhania, 16 km earlier than Rewa Street, and a jam of 12-15 km in the direction of Varanasi. Experiences of crowds coming into even practice engines are being revealed in all places. Regular life has develop into tough.”
Accusing the Uttar Pradesh authorities of failure, Yadav added, “The UP authorities has failed. It’s seen solely in false ads stuffed with vanity, however in actuality, it’s lacking on the bottom.”
In one other submit, Yadav shared a video reportedly from Madhya Pradesh, exhibiting police personnel advising folks to not journey in the direction of Prayagraj as a result of congestion. He commented, “There’s ‘BJP authorities’ on each side. One says come to Maha Kumbh, the opposite says do not cross over.”
The Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP) is in energy in each Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Devotees Wrestle Amid Gridlock
Ram Kripal, a devotee from Rae Bareli, stated he was caught in visitors for 5 hours close to Phaphamau on the Lucknow-Prayagraj freeway. “I by some means parked my car in Bela Kachhar and walked to Sangam Ghat,” he stated.
ADCP (Site visitors) Kuldeep Singh attributed the congestion to the excessive quantity of autos, with pilgrims attempting to get as shut as attainable to the Mela space. “The variety of autos could be very excessive, resulting in lengthy jams. The gang is much like that seen on Mauni Amavasya,” Singh stated.
He added that whereas a distant car parking zone is 50% full, the closest parking space is way smaller. “In contrast to the final Kumbh in 2019, the place such huge crowds weren’t seen on common days, this time, even regular days are witnessing overwhelming footfall,” he stated.
Railway Authorities Implement Crowd Management Measures
With the scenario worsening, the Northern Railway determined to shut Prayagraj Sangam station. “Since passengers have been going through problem in exiting as a result of heavy crowd, we determined to close the station quickly,” stated Senior Divisional Business Supervisor (Northern Railway), Lucknow, Kuldeep Tiwari.
To handle the gang, the North Central Railway has carried out a single-direction visitors system at Prayagraj Junction. “For security and comfort, entry will probably be allowed solely from town facet (platform no.-1), and exit will probably be by way of Civil Traces,” stated North Central Railway Senior PRO Amit Malviya.
Unreserved passengers will enter by way of designated shelters with ticketing services through unreserved ticket counters, ATVMs, and cell ticketing. Reserved passengers will probably be allowed entry solely by way of Gate No. 5 and permitted onto the platform solely half-hour earlier than their practice’s arrival.
Authorities anticipate the gang to stay heavy within the coming days, with extra visitors and transport measures into consideration.
(With PTI inputs)
