Prayagraj Administration Gears Up For Magh Purnima Snan With Strict Traffic Curbs And Railway Reinforcements

In anticipation of the Magh Purnima Snan at the Mahakumbh on 12 February, the administration has declared a ‘No Vehicle Zone’ across key areas to manage the massive influx of devotees.

The curbs, which came into effect from 5 pm today, will remain in place until the end of 12 February, ensuring the sacred bathing ritual proceeds smoothly and safely, reported ANI.

Private and public vehicles of devotees will be parked in designated lots along respective routes, with even the Kalpavasis' vehicles being restricted. Only essential and emergency services will be allowed entry.

Urging cooperation, the administration has appealed to pilgrims to adhere to the traffic plan for a seamless experience.

With lakhs expected to arrive for the Snan, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reassured that Indian Railways has undertaken extensive measures to handle the surge in passengers. On 10 February, he personally inspected the Prayagraj Railway Station, stating:

"Railways has taken care of all the arrangements at 8 railway stations for Prayagraj Mahakumbh. Along with the state administration, everything is being done in a very coordinated way. Yesterday, 330 trains left Prayagraj Junction and even today trains are running in an orderly manner. If someone tries to spread rumours, we don’t want to listen to them. Everything is going on in a systematic manner."

To manage the colossal crowd, Executive Director of the Railway Board, Dilip Kumar, highlighted the deployment of over 13,000 railway personnel across the Sangam Kshetra.

He further revealed the implementation of a multi-layered security network with 1,200 CCTV cameras, including AI-enabled face-recognition technology, ensuring tight surveillance at all major stations.

"We have deployed more than 13,000 railway personnel at the various railway stations in the Sangam Kshetra. Special trains are also being run as per requirement. Yesterday, 12 and half lakh devotees departed in 330 trains. Today also, more than 140 trains have already been operated. 1200 CCTV cameras have been installed. The monitoring is being done on 5 levels. Control rooms have been established at all stations to monitor the CCTV feed. There are CCTVs that also have face-recognition technology and Artificial Intelligence."