Thousands of devotees are stuck stranded for hours in massive traffic congestion reported extending for nearly 300 kilometers on the routes to the Maha Kumbh Mela on Sunday.
The unprecedented congestion forced many to remain stuck in their vehicles, some even hundreds of kilometres away from the fair site on Sunday and Monday.
MP stops vehicles travelling to Maha Kumbh
A day earlier, heavy traffic heading toward Prayagraj had already led to police stopping hundreds of vehicles in different areas of Madhya Pradesh to prevent overcrowding.
The situation prompted the state police to halt traffic across multiple districts, leaving travellers stuck for long hours on highways.
Meanwhile, chief minister Mohan Yadav on Monday, February 10, urged devotees not to move towards Prayagraj for the next couple of days.
Talking to PTI, Yadav said, “There is pressure on traffic in areas of the state adjoining Prayagraj, especially in Rewanchal (places surrounding Rewa district), as people have travelled from other states. I am requesting all not to move ahead on this road for the next couple of days.”
He said there are challenges in arrangements of the Maha Kumbh due to overcrowding, and the state government was in touch with the Prayagraj administration.
The chief minister said, “We are fortunate to receive so many pilgrims travelling to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh, but at the same time, we are concerned about arrangements for their safety and well-being.”
He said that the state government has ensured food, water and all other essential arrangements for pilgrims travelling on all these routes, and social organisations are also engaged in this work.
“I humbly request everyone. Check on Google. If the road is clear, only then proceed. If there is difficulty on the way, stop at a suitable place and wait,” Yadav said.
Is the common devotee not a human being? Akhilesh’s swipe at UP govt
Taking a swipe at the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government, Opposition leader and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav blasted the administration’s handling of the event, urging authorities to address the plight of stranded devotees.
“The hungry, thirsty, distressed, and exhausted pilgrims stuck in traffic jams should be looked at with a humane perspective. Are common devotees, not human beings?” Yadav asked in a post on X.
The former Chief Minister also demanded that vehicles be made toll-free across Uttar Pradesh during the Maha Kumbh to ease traffic and ensure a smoother journey for devotees.
“On the occasion of Maha Kumbh, vehicles should be made toll-free in UP. This will reduce travel problems and also the issue of traffic jams. When films can be made entertainment tax-free, then why not exempt vehicles from tolls for this religious event?” he wrote.
He further highlighted specific trouble spots, mentioning major jams at Nawabganj, 30 km before entering Prayagraj from the Lucknow side, a bottleneck at Gauhania, 16 km before Rewa Road, and a traffic snarl extending 12-15 km towards Varanasi.
Yadav said, “The UP government has failed. It is visible only in false advertisements full of arrogance, but in reality it is missing on the ground.”
In another post on ‘X’ Yadav shared a video apparently from Madhya Pradesh in which police personnel are seen asking people on the road not to travel towards Prayagraj considering a huge traffic on the route.
He wrote, “There is ‘BJP government’ on both sides. One says come to Maha Kumbh, the other says don’t cross over.”
Parking is 50 percent filled for Maha Kumbh: Police
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) (Traffic) Kuldeep Singh said, “The number of vehicles is very high and the passengers are trying to come as close as possible to the Maha Kumbh Mela area. Due to this, there is a long jam.
Singh said that almost the same crowd is coming now as had come on ‘Mauni Amavasya’.
The distant parking lot is 50 per cent full. The nearest parking lot is a small parking lot, while the distant parking lot is big, he said.
He said that the vehicles of the local people do not run on the bathing festival, but now all types of vehicles are running.
In the last (2019) Kumbh, there was not so much crowd, especially on normal days, but this time such a huge crowd is coming on normal days, Singh said, adding the crowd of devotees does not seem to reduce for the next few days.
Prayagraj Sangam railway station closed
Taking cognizance of the enormous traffic jam leading to the Maha Kumbh, the railway authorities have closed the Prayagraj Sangam railway station.
The North Central Railway has implemented a single-direction traffic system at the Prayagraj Junction station till further orders given the huge crowd of devotees.
North Central Railway Senior Public Relations Officer Amit Malviya said that for the safety and convenience of the passengers, entry will be given only from the city side (towards platform no.-1) and exit will be only from the Civil Lines side.
He said that unreserved passengers will be given entry through direction wise passenger shelter. Ticket arrangements will be made at unreserved ticket counters, ATVMs, and mobile ticketing in the passenger shelters.
Similarly, reserved passengers will be given entry through gate number 5 and they will be allowed to go to the platform only half an hour before the arrival of the train.
Several videos have surfaced on social media showing massive traffic jams leading to the Maha Kumbh across several districts emerging on various social media platforms.
Maha Kumbh Mela
Maha Kumbh, which began on January 13, is the world’s largest spiritual and cultural gathering, attracting devotees from across the globe. It will continue until Mahashivratri on February 26.
As per government figures, over 44 crore devotees have taken a dip at the Triveni Sangam till February 9. On February 10, by 10 am, over 63 lakh devotees had performed the ritual bath.
With an average of 1.44 crore people taking a dip daily, authorities are managing an unprecedented surge of pilgrims in the holy city.
(With inputs from agencies)
