Countless people have got stuck on the roads.
World’s longest traffic jam: The Maha Kumbh fair, which started on January 13 and will go on till February 26, has attracted millions of devotees. The Kumbh Mela is the world’s largest religious gathering and to manage such large crowds, the administration at every level makes special arrangement for smooth conduct of the sacred ceremony.
There have been reports of a very heavy flow of devotees who are trying to reach the venue by road, air, and trains. This has caused a rather uncomfortable situation which the authorities are trying very hard to manage.
According to various sources, countless people have got stuck on the roads leading to the mela venue. It is described as a never-ending sea of traffic culminating around Prayagraj. Reports further say that the traffic stretched for more than 300 km, blocking all major roads and thousands of vehicles stranded on this large stretch. In fact, some have called it the biggest traffic jam in the world.
Due to this massive traffic jam, the police were forced to stop traffic in different districts on Sunday, February 9. A big chunk of the traffic was headed in the direction of the Maha Kumbh mela via Madhya Pradesh. The police stopped vehicular traffic in different districts in Madhya Pradesh and asked people to find a safe shelter.
While police vehicles in Katni district announced that traffic has been stopped till Monday, February 10, the Maihar Police asked vehicles to return to Katni and Jabalpur and stay there.
“It is impossible to move towards Prayagraj today as there is a traffic jam of 200-300 kilometres,” police said.
Several videos on social media showed massive queues of thousands of cars and trucks on roads across Katni, Maihar and Rewa districts in MP. Eyewitnesses claimed huge traffic jams across a 250-km stretch from Katni to MP-UP borders at Chakghat in Rewa district.
Eyewitnesses claimed vehicles are stuck in traffic jams for 48 hours.
“It is taking almost 10-12 hours to cover a 50-km distance,” a man claimed. Police said they are stopping vehicles at different spots to prevent crowding at MP-UP borders.
Meanwhile, Rewa district administration stated that the number of pilgrims heading to Prayagraj is not decreasing, creating a constant pressure of vehicles on the Rewa-Prayagraj route.
As crowds increased beyond Chakghat, vehicles were stopped there and other places, the Rewa district office stated in a release. An official said a large number of vehicles are lining both sides of the highway going to Prayagraj.
Rewa district collector Pratibha Pal said they are coordinating with the Prayagraj administration. She said vehicles had been held up because of heavy crowds on the highway. “Arrangements are being made for the safe stay, food, and water for people (stuck in traffic jams),” she added.
Overall, more than 42 crore devotees have so far taken a dip in Ganga and Sangam while more than 1.42 crore devotees took bath in Ganga and Sangam till 6 pm on Sunday, February 9, according to the data released by the fair administration.
(Image: liveindia.tv)
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