Mahakumbh: Hi-tech lost and found centre a beacon of hope
Around 250 people reunited with kin on first Amrit Snan of Makar Sankranti with the help of high-tech khoya paaya kendra
: Around 250 of 300 people of all age groups, who got separated during the first Amrit Snan on Makar Sankranti here on Tuesday, were reunited with their families, courtesy hi-tech network of ‘Khoya-Paaya’ kendra in the Mahakumbh area.

Giving this information, additional mela officer, Mahakumbh, Vivek Chaturvedi the process to reunite the remaining around 50 others was underway.
Divya, 5, somehow got separated from her parents. Cops on witnessing the panicked child crying on roadside near the watch tower at Sangam brought her to the Khoya-Paaya kendra. After nearly two hours, her parents, Prakash and Meghna Sahu of Odisha saw their child on one of the 20 LED screens set up in 10 sectors of the mela and reached the centre.
Similarly, Kishun, 55, of Bihar’s Madhubani, got separated from his wife and children near pontoon number 11 owing to excessive crowd pressure.
He also lost his mobile phone in the rush which rendered him helpless. Cops present there brought him to the lost and found centre. Later, his photograph was flashed on the television screen besides repeated audio announcements of his details. After three hours, he got to meet his family.
Baretan, an elderly lady from Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao, was separated from his son and daughter-in-law. The Khoya-Paaya kendra proved as a saviour for her as she was reunited with her family within an hour.
According to Mani Jha, project manager, ‘Khoya-Paaya’ kendra, there are 20 television screens placed at 10 sub-centres of the kendra which coordinate details of lost people through digital mode.
“This helps in quick dissemination of information and reuniting process. Till a person is not reunited with their family, the file would display pending status,” he added.
