New Delhi: Security has been stepped up and crowd control measures at the ghats strengthened to check overcrowding, as 4 to 5 crore devotees are expected to take a holy dip for the Basant Panchami sacred bathing ritual on Sunday. It will mark the third ‘Amrit Snan’ of the 45-day Maha Kumbh.
Over 7 crore pilgrims had flocked to Prayagraj for Mauni Amawasya Amrit Snan on January 29, which took a tragic turn as 30 people lost their lives and many were injured in a stampede triggered by the overcrowding. On Saturday, police rolled out new measures to streamline the movement of pilgrims, chalking out a strict route plan.
Paramilitary forces at strategic places
Devotees will enter the mela premises through Kali Sadak and exit via Triveni Marg, with security personnel closely keep a tab on both entry and exit points. To handle the massive influx of pilgrims, paramilitary forces have also been deployed at strategic locations for crowd control. A one-way system has been set up within the mela, and barricades have been put up to prevent congestion in the wake of the stampede.
Efforts are afoot to make sure that the devotees take their holy dip at all 44 ghats, avoiding crowding at Sangam Nose. The devotees have been appealed to leave the ghats after taking bath. The Basant Panchami tithi will start at 9:14 am on Sunday and continue until 6:52 pm on Monday.
Earlier, a day after the stampede that broke out on January 29, the state government adopted strict measures to ensure that there was no repeat of such an incident in the future. The administration has declared the Maha Kumbh area a no-vehicle zone, cancelled all VVIP passes and made roads leading to the fair one-way for smooth movement of devotees.
Senior IAS and IPS officers from Lucknow were rushed to the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh, with those assigned being experts in crowd management. Ashish Goyal, Chairman of UPPCL and Divisional Commissioner of Prayagraj, along with Bhanu Chand Goswami, VC of the Allahabad Development Authority, were sent to oversee the event. Senior IAS officers, as well as IPS officers, including IPS Sujit Pandey, were also sent to Prayagraj.
UP CM conducts aerial survey
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath carried out an aerial survey of the Mela area on Saturday. He also took stock of the arrangements for Basant Panchmi and assessed the traffic conditions to ensure seamless movement of pilgrims. CM Yogi conducted an inspection of key roads connecting Prayagraj to various districts, aiming to decongest highways and improve transportation for devotees arriving in private vehicles and UPSRTC buses.
