Prayagraj: As the Mahakumbh began on 13 December, lakhs of devotees descended on the newly established Kumbh district while police geared up to avert any stampede-like situation.
Prepared for “any situation”, over 50,000 police personnel and more than a dozen drones are now working “round the clock”, according to the Mela Authority.
“Over 50,000 police officers, including traffic police, Jal Police, NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal), and BSF (Border Security Force), remain deployed,” said a senior police officer, speaking to ThePrint. “We have the Army and Air Force coordinating with the police to ensure smooth operations.”
Returning every 12 years, the MahaKumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, will likely draw 45 crore devotees over one-and-a-half months, the Mela Authority stated. The first day served as the true test of the authorities’ preparations.
Currently, there are seven entry points to Prayagraj. According to the Mela Authority, each entry has a parking facility within six to seven kilometres, where people can park their vehicles. In addition, number plate recognition software will verify vehicles entering Prayagraj.
Dozens of police personnel staff each of the hundreds of checkpoints established across the temporary Kumbh district. They, reinforced by additional police personnel from different districts of Uttar Pradesh, are ensuring effective crowd management.
Moreover, hundreds of diversions are in place to prevent road congestion and ensure no mishaps occur. However, this has drawn ire from devotees at several checkpoints that force them to walk longer distances, carrying bags and blankets on their heads and children in their arms.
“All checkpoints are operational round the clock. We also provide shuttle services to help devotees reach the nearest ‘snan (bathing)’ points, so they do not have to walk too far,” said another senior police officer.
With lakhs of people surging towards the Sangam—the confluence point of Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati—there were several instances of determined devotees attempting to climb barricades, and the police redirecting them to alternate routes on the first day of Mahakumbh. A senior officer explained that police personnel have been trained in soft skills to calmly manage such situations and guide devotees to the appropriate routes.
The lost-and-found centres, on the other hand, teemed with people announcing the names of relatives they had lost on their way.
To ensure that the recently established pontoon bridges do not choke with the influx of people, entry and exit points alternate on the bridges.
With the first holy bath scheduled early on 14 December, police have arranged dedicated routes with proper barricades to ensure smooth movement for sadhus and sants.
Till 4 pm Monday, 1.6 crore devotees had taken a holy dip at the Sangam, according to the Mela Authority. The numbers will likely cross two crore by the end of the day.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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