Prayagraj: The numbers at Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 have belied every calculation. On Monday, the 36th day since the fair began, around 50 lakh people had taken a holy dip in Sangam by 10 am. Contrary to the prediction of reducing footfalls after the Shahi Snan, Maha Kumbh has witnessed an unprecedented surge after February 6. Apart from the fair area in Prayagraj which is gasping for breath, all roads are packed to capacity and devotees seen stranded. With an average of 1.5 crore people taking a holy dip daily since February 7, the situation is spiralling out of control. Over 53 crore devotees have already visited Prayagraj, and the number is expected to reach 65 crores by Maha Shivratri.
Crowd swell from February 6
Following the stampede on Mauni Amavasya, the fair saw reducing visitors and it was expected that the footfall would continue to decrease as the fair gets to a close. However, the crowd surged again from February 6 and by February 7, the number of devotees rose to unmanageable levels. As a result the seven main routes to Prayagraj got clogged. The situation now has turned worse in the city, affecting areas like Naini, Jhunsi, Civil Lines, and Arail. Traffic jams stretch 20-25 km on major routes, with some pilgrims having to trek over 25 kilometres to reach the ghats.
On February 8 and 9 February, the city remained jammed while on February 15, the weekend, the situation grew worse almost on the same lines as on Mauni Amavasya. On the day, 1.36 crore devotees took a dip in the Sangam. By Sunday 10 am, the number of devotees had reached 59.55 lakh.
Choked routes connecting Prayagraj
- Prayagraj-Varanasi route
- Prayagraj-Mirzapur
- Lucknow-Raebareli-Pratapgarh
- Prayagraj-Jaunpur
- Prayagraj-Chitrakoot
- Prayagraj-Rewa
- Prayagraj-Kaushambi
All these routes face a constant jam spanning 5 to 10 km. However, the worst affected is the Rewa route where the road is choked for around 20 to 25 km. As per the stranded people, they are being asked by the administration to go back.
#WATCH उत्तर प्रदेश के मुख्यमंत्री योगी आदित्यनाथ ने प्रयागराज में महाकुंभ क्षेत्र का हवाई सर्वेक्षण किया।#MahaKumbh2025 pic.twitter.com/JveLYxretA
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) February 16, 2025
A Never-ending Walk For Devotees
Devotees arriving in Maha Kumbh Nagar from different routes complain that they are left with no option but walk for 20 to 25 km. Among devotees facing the problem are those taking the Bela Kachhar parking on Lucknow-Pratapgarh road. They are facing a jam of at least five to seven hours. The situation of Varanasi and Kanpur routes is no better.
With the bathing ritual is taking place at 11 ghats apart from Sangam, the crowd is being diverted to different locations according to convenience.
The crowd in the city has now fanned out from the main roads to the lanes and bylanes while many devotees are seen lying down on pavements and roadsides, tired and exhausted.
Railway Stations Packed
A total of nine railway stations in Prayagraj are bearing the brunt of crowding woes, and of late, Sangam Ghat station has been closed. The maximum loads is currently on Chivki, Prayagraj and Prayag stations. On Sunday, the situation went out of control at Chivki station and the police had to use ropes and formed human chains. People are seen hitting against each other to board trains all the stations. In view of such a situation, passengers are being allowed to go to the platform only when the train of the same route arrives.
Amid such hullabaloo, devotees complain of being charged high fares for taxi, bike and even the shopkeepers. Some alleged that the city is looting them by charging fees arbitrarily. Even for normal food items, the shopkeepers charge double, or even sometimes triple the price. Ram Pravesh from Ballia, said, "We travel a long distance to reach the ghat amid the swelling crowd and later pay high prices. There is no where we can go or complain about this, neither is anyone keeping a check on such loot, he added.
Despite government assurance to run 500 city buses, devotees complain there are no such facilities. To add to their woes, pilgrims allege that there are no markers to help them reach the destination. There is none to help us guide on the routes.
Samajwadi Party chief and MP Akhilesh Yadav on February 16 took to social media X and hosted videos of devotees who have expressed their ire on the UP administration and PM Modi after facing a tough time during their pilgrimage.
सुन ले यूपी का शासन और प्रशासन
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) February 17, 2025
श्रद्धालुओं के कटु अनुभव और वचन pic.twitter.com/Ri0E5eMIGg
प्रयागराज और नैनी जंक्शन स्टेशन पर जुटे श्रद्धालुओं के लिए तत्काल इमरजेंसी क्राउड मैनेजमेंट किया जाए। pic.twitter.com/0sBmzI6Dw1
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) February 16, 2025
On Monday, the city's Manfordganj area, which never saw traffic jam, remained choked. Till this report was filed, the intersection where Sangam Expressway meets, vehicles were seen waiting in serpentine queues.
The situation is such that DIG Maha Kumbh Vaibhav Krishna reached Sangam with his team on a horseback. The police personnel are advising devotees to leave the place immediately after bathing. "We are appealing people not to sit or lie down on the ghats," said an official.
The major bathing festivals at Maha Kumbh Mela began on January 14 with Makar Sankranti, drawing over 3.5 crore devotees. On Mauni Amavasya, more than 5.71 crore pilgrims took a dip, leading to a tragic stampede that claimed about 30 lives as per government figures. Despite the tragedy, the crowds continued to swell. On Basant Panchami and Maghi Purnima, over 2 crore devotees bathed at Sangam.
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