CM Yogi issues fresh directives on crowd management, traffic flow

UP chief secretary and DGP have been asked to conduct a thorough review of Mahakumbh arrangements for the next Amrit Snan for Basant Panchami on February 3.

In wake of the Mahakumbh stampede, chief minister Yogi Adityanath issued guidelines on crowd management, traffic flow, prevention of build-up of devotees and coordination among departments. He directed chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh and DGP Prashant Kumar to conduct a thorough review of Mahakumbh arrangements on Thursday for the next Amrit Snan scheduled for Basant Panchami on February 3.

Every aspect related to security and public convenience must be carefully examined to ensure seamless arrangements, he said. (PTI Photo)

Every aspect related to security and public convenience must be carefully examined to ensure seamless arrangements, he said while conducting a late-night video conference with police and district administration officials of Prayagraj and various districts on Wednesday.

To strengthen arrangements, senior IAS officers Ashish Goyal, who served as divisional commissioner of Prayagraj during Kumbh 2019 and former ADA V-C Bhanu Goswami were sent to Prayagraj. Additionally, five special secretary-level officers were asked to oversee operations. They will remain in Prayagraj till February 12 to assist in streamlining the arrangements. SP-level officers will also be deployed in Mahakumbh for enhanced management and security.

The CM also sought updates from officers in Ayodhya, Varanasi, Mirzapur, and Chitrakoot regarding security and crowd management measures for incoming devotees. He said officers in districts bordering Prayagraj must strictly enforce directives issued from Prayagraj. Patrolling should be increased, traffic should flow smoothly on all major routes, including Ayodhya-Prayagraj, Kanpur-Prayagraj, Fatehpur-Prayagraj, Lucknow-Pratapgarh-Prayagraj, and Varanasi-Prayagraj. All return routes from Prayagraj should remain open and unobstructed at all times, he said.

Adityanath said ADG and district magistrate of Prayagraj must ensure safe and smooth departure of every devotee. “It is our responsibility to facilitate their journey. To achieve this, seamless coordination with the Railways must be maintained to ensure continuous train operations. Extra buses from the transport corporation should be deployed to accommodate the rush,” he added.

“Holding areas should be created to regulate crowd flow, allowing movement as per the situation. Barricading should be used effectively, traffic management should be improved, and adequate parking arrangements must be in place,” said the CM.

“Devotees should be allowed to proceed, based on the prevailing situation. Arrangements for food and drinking water must be ensured at all holding areas so that no devotee faces any inconvenience,” he said.

Traffic must remain smooth within the Mela area and crowd build-up must be prevented at all locations, he emphasised.