Mahakumbh Nagar (UP), Feb 26 (PTI) With no vehicular movement permitted on the Triveni Marg here, a set of three-wheeled carts pulled by daily wage workers have come as a boon for wearied pilgrims, many of whom are choosing to get ferried on it to the main city from the Mahakumbh Nagar side.
This lean, light and eco-friendly means of transport can only ferry pilgrims emerging out of the tent city zone and not those heading towards the Sangam site.
Amid chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’, lakhs of pilgrims from different parts of the country on Wednesday took the holy dip at the Triveni Sangam on Mahashivratri as the 45-day Maha Kumbh inched towards its closure.
Maha Kumbh, the spectacle that takes place once in 12 years, began on January 13 (Paush Purnima) and saw grand processions of Naga Sadhus and three ‘Amrit Snans’. The mega religious gathering has drawn a record over 65 crore pilgrims so far.
On the last day of the mega congregation, the pilgrims drawn from across the country thronged river banks to take part in the last ‘snan’ of the mela.
For many of the pilgrims, exhausted from their journey to Prayagraj and then walking on foot in the milling crowds at the Mahakumbh Nagar after bathing at the Triveni Sangam, a three-wheeled cart is proving a saviour.
In the past two days, a flurry of such carts have been seen on the Triveni Marg, transporting 4-5 pilgrims in one cart, each pulled by a man, determined to earn some income from it and in some cases an extra person to push the cart from behind.
A typical cart has a wooden or metallic frame attached on its carrier to enable people to sit comfortably and these are being used by both male and female pilgrims, largely by a group of family members.
This voluntary act of providing an informal transportation service in times of need has won praises from many visitors too and some could be seen streaming a live video while riding these three-wheeled improvised ‘thelas’.
Most of the workers pulling these are labourers from other states, such as Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, who came to Prayagraj last month hoping to earn some good money utilising this opportunity.
Rocky, a native of Madhya Pradesh, shared his story with PTI while dragging his empty cart from the Naya Pul side towards the main tent city on Triveni Marg.
“I came here in January after the mela began and been doing this every day. I try to run it from evening to late night. Pilgrims get relief and we get some money as earnings, it’s a win-win situation I feel,” he said.
A typical ride on the 4-5 km stretch on which these carts operate costs Rs 100 or so per person or more depending on the will of the cart-puller.
On Mahashivratri day, such carts were seen plying one-way from early morning and went on till late evening, as more pilgrims rushed in to take the holy dip on the auspicious day.
Lallu Ram, a Rajasthan native, said that he bought a new cart and rented another from a local man for this “mela-fuelled business of sorts”.
“I bought the new cart for Rs 20,000 and using it in mela, the rented one is being used by a family member. We have come in a group from our home state,” he told PTI.
At any given time time, mostly at night, a section of carts are seen in the street, while rest parked in clusters along the route.
When not plying on the Triveni Marg, a bunch of carts can be seen parked on the roadside, serving as a makeshift beds for its pullers and their family members.
Yuvraj Bhatia, a local youth, who has also jumped into this ‘make-quick-money’ business born out of human need, said he plys his cart from 4 AM till 7-8 AM on any given day.
Ferrying a group of pilgrims in the early hours on Tuesday, he played a religious song that became famous at the time of the consecration ceremony at Ayodhya temple and peddled furiously towards the Naya Pul.
“The barricade (near Jagannath Temple) has come, we can’t go beyond this point. Service ends here,” he tells his passengers. PTI KND AS AS
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