Maghi Purnima: 10-km walk, vehicle-free zone to prevent traffic nightmare in Prayagraj's Mahakumbh
As Prayagraj braces for a massive influx of devotees for Maha Kumbh on January 12, a traffic advisory has been issued, declaring the area a ‘no traffic zone’.
Lakhs of people are making their way to Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj to participate in Maha Kumbh on the revered occasion of Maghi Purnima on Wednesday, January 12. To make sure that there is no chaos inside the Maha Kumbh venue and also around the city, the administration of the mela has issued a special traffic advisory for smooth flow of traffic.
Maghi Purnima is one of the holiest occasions to take a dip at the Triveni Sangam - the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers, hence, the huge influx of devotees to the city. The action comes after a huge traffic jam, reportedly spanning hundreds of kilometres, clogged the city on Monday, forcing people to get stuck in their vehicles for hours.
The traffic advisory
To avoid any chaos and obstruction in the movement of devotees, the entire Maha Kumbh venue has been declared a ‘no traffic zone’, starting 4 am on Tuesday morning. Keeping in mind the crowd that will enter the city for Maghi Purnima snan, the entire Prayagraj will be turned into a ‘no traffic zone’ from 5 pm on Tuesday, with exceptions only for essential and emergency vehicles.
People who are reaching Prayagraj in their vehicles from different cities will have to park them in designated parking lots of respective routes starting at 4 am on Tuesday. They will have to make their way to the Maha Kumbh and Snan venue on foot.
These arrangements will stay in place until the devotees who have come for the Snan are smoothly evacuated from the Maha Kumbh venue on February 12. The advisory also said that the restrictions will be applied to the vehicles of Kalpvasis as well.
Kalpvas refers to the practice of living near the holy Triveni Sangam and adhering to fasting, self-discipline, introspection and spiritual purification for a set period of time, said news agency PTI. Those who observe this are called Kalpvasis.
Physical classes of secondary schools of all boards have been suspended from February 7 to February 12 in Prayagraj for the ease of students, reported PTI. Online classes will however be held.
What about people travelling from train
People travelling by train to Prayagraj will have to alight at the railway station and make their way to the Maha Kumbh venue for snan on foot, said a Dainik Bhaskar report. The distance between the parking zones and railway stations to the snan venue, which is the Triveni Sangam, is around 8-10 km, the report added. This means that the devotees should be prepared to walk that long back and forth. No special arrangements are in place for senior citizens and differently abled people, the report says.
The report also adds that the issuance of the VVIP cards has been cancelled for now so as to avoid any hindrance to the movement of pilgrims.
The special arrangements have been made after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath virtually reviewed preparations made by the administration to handle the crowd travelling for Maghi Purnima snan.
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