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On Sunday, a massive traffic jam plagued the routes leading to the Maha Kumbh Mela, causing extensive delays for kilometers. This congestion prompted Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav to call on the government for urgent aid for the many devotees left stranded. The congestion was so severe that Prayagraj Sangam railway station had to shut down due to the overwhelming crowd outside its premises.
In response to the chaos, Akhilesh Yadav took to the social media platform X to express his concerns, emphasizing the need for immediate emergency measures for the millions of devotees caught in the traffic snarls. He highlighted the plight of the pilgrims - hungry, thirsty, and exhausted - urging that they be treated with compassion. "Is the common devotee not a human being?" Yadav questioned, calling attention to the humanitarian aspect of the crisis.
Devotee Numbers and Government Response
According to the fair administration, over 1.42 crore pilgrims had bathed in the Ganga and Sangam by 6 pm on Sunday, with the total number reaching more than 42 crore so far. The situation was exacerbated by traffic jams reported at various points en route to Prayagraj, including a 30 km jam at Nawabganj from the direction of Lucknow, a 16 km jam at Gauhania before the Rewa road, and a 12 to 15 km jam towards Varanasi.
Yadav criticized the Uttar Pradesh government for its apparent lack of presence on the ground, despite its vigorous advertising campaign. "The UP government has failed. It is visible only in false advertisements full of arrogance, but in reality, it is missing on the ground," he stated. In a separate post on 'X,' Yadav shared a video from Madhya Pradesh where police were advising people against traveling toward Prayagraj due to the traffic congestion, pointing out the contradictory messages from BJP-led governments in both states.
Travel Woes and Official Measures
Among those affected was Ram Kripal from Rae Bareli, who recounted being stuck in a jam for five hours before Phaphamau on the Lucknow Prayagraj highway. He managed to park his vehicle at Bela Kachhar and proceeded on foot to Sangam Ghat. The traffic congestion has been attributed to the high volume of vehicles, with people trying to get as close as possible to the Mela area, leading to long traffic jams. ADCP (Traffic) Kuldeep Singh mentioned that the situation resembled the crowd seen on 'Mauni Amavasya,' with parking lots nearing capacity.
In light of the overcrowding, the Prayagraj Sangam station was temporarily closed to manage the influx of devotees. Kuldeep Tiwari, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (Northern Railway), Lucknow, explained that the closure was necessary due to the difficulties passengers faced exiting the station. Additionally, the North Central Railway introduced a single direction traffic system at Prayagraj Junction station to better manage the crowd, ensuring safety and convenience for passengers, as detailed by Senior Public Relations Officer Amit Malviya.
As the crowd of devotees shows no signs of diminishing in the coming days, the local authorities have made several adaptations. Unlike the last Kumbh in 2019, which saw a lesser crowd on normal days, this year has witnessed an unprecedented number of visitors even on non-festival days. This has necessitated a range of measures, including differentiated entry and exit points at stations and specific ticketing arrangements to facilitate smoother movement and enhance safety for all attendees.
Akhilesh flays Adityanath government over traffic chaos in Prayagraj
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday criticised the Uttar Pradesh government for the severe traffic congestion in Prayagraj, claiming it has led to a shortage of essential commodities and inconvenienced devotees visiting the Maha Kumbh Mela. "Due to the traffic jam everywhere in Prayagraj, neither food grains, vegetables, spices are available nor medicines, petrol-diesel. Due to this, the condition of crores of hungry, thirsty, tired and exhausted devotees stuck in Prayagraj and Maha Kumbh premises and on the roads leading to Prayagraj is getting worse every hour. This is a very serious situation,"
Yadav said in a post on X He also posted a video with the post in which people are sharing their experiences and pointing out at the chaos. "Just like in states, when the constitutional system fails, the command is given to someone else, similarly, seeing the chaos in Maha Kumbh, a capable person should be given the command of governance. Incompetent people can spread false propaganda, not true system," he added. According to the officials, 46.19 lakh people, including 10 lakh Kalpvasis, took bath in Sangam till 8 am on Monday. About 44 crore people have taken a dip in the Sangam since the start of the Maha Kumbh last month.
