By Naysa Shrivastava
The Prayagraj administration declared the Sangam area as a ‘no vehicle zone’ till 12th February 2025 due to the traffic congestion caused by thousands of devotees. This decision was taken because the Magh Purnima Snan is being held on 12th February. The devotees have been directed to a different route, and parking zones have been allocated.
A traffic advisory has been issued and released by the administration for the safe and uninterrupted movement of devotees. Advisory included: the area will remain a no-vehicle zone from 11th February at 4am; no vehicles are allowed. Parking lots have been allocated; the vehicles will stay parked outside the city till the bath ritual is complete. From 5pm, vehicles will be allowed only in the case of emergency; the restrictions will be implemented till 12th February.
The rules are the same for Kalpavasi (pilgrims staying for a long time period for Kumbh) vehicles, and devotees are requested to travel via public transport; the public should follow the designated walking routes. This advisory released after the stampede incident took place on Mauni Amavasya led to casualties and injuries.
People are suffering because of this; food shortages and fuel shortages have been recurring amid heavy traffic jams. The local residents are not allowed to step out, due to which they are not able to purchase necessary things.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister, said, “All the preparations have been made by the Railways at 8 railway stations at Prayagraj for Maha Kumbh. The state administration is doing everything in a proper way to manage everything. Yesterday, 330 trains departed from Prayagraj Junction, and everything is running smoothly. No rumours will be entertained as we have planned all the events systematically.
Executive Director of the Information and Publicity Department of the Railway Board, Dilip Kumar, ensured safety in the Sangam Kshetra and said, “13,000 railway personnel have been sent to different railway stations in the area. 1200 CCTV cameras have been installed, and everything is being closely monitored.’