Lucknow: With Prayagraj and neighbouring areas plagued by massive traffic snarls due to an unprecedented influx of visitors, a number expected to go up even further with the special Magh Purnima snan to take place on February 12, chief minister Yogi Adityanath held a video conference with senior officials to discuss the management of the event. During the meeting, the CM said that the past week had seen a significant increase in the influx of people into Prayagraj and in addition to public transport, a large number of people had chosen to come in their private vehicles. This number, he said, expected to increase further around the Magh Purnima snan and an effective traffic and crowd management plan should be implemented. The CM directed officials to continue to operate parking facilities at the borders of Prayagraj and to fully utlise the vehicle parking capacity of over 5 lakh. No unauthorised vehicles should be allowed to enter the fair area and the number of shuttle buses should be increased. With all roads leading to Prayagraj jammed, the CM said that there are no vehicle queues on the roads and there is no unauthorised parking of vehicles anywhere. DMs of districts bordering Prayagraj have been directed to maintain constant contact and coordination with the Prayagraj administration and National Highway Authority of India to ensure that there are no jams at toll plazas. Police patrolling will take place on all routes connected to Prayagraj where cranes and ambulances should be available at all times. There should be no traffic obstructions on routes like Rewa, Ayodhya-Prayagraj, Kanpur-Prayagraj, Fatehpur-Prayagraj, Lucknow-Pratapgarh-Prayagraj, Varanasi-Prayagraj and the return routes from Prayagraj should be kept open. "A large number of pilgrims are present at all railway stations in Prayagraj. These are pilgrims returning home after the snan. Ensuring the safe return of each pilgrim to their destination is our responsibility. Ensure continuous train operations in coordination with the railways. Deploy additional buses from the transport corporation," the CM said. To prevent any untoward incident, the CM said, there should be continuous movement in the Maha Kumbh fair area. For this, he said, people should not be stopped and there should be no road blocks anywhere. The government has deputed 28 administrative officers, including ADM and SDM level officers, to the fair area and several police officers have been deployed as well. The fair management has been asked to utilise their services as needed while the police should be engaged in traffic management. "People from all over the world are coming to the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh. Over 44.75 crore pilgrims have taken the holy dip at the Sangam. This is the largest human gathering in world history. The restraint shown by Prayagraj residents and their cooperation in maintaining order amidst this unprecedented situation is commendable. Ensure the smooth continuation of daily life in Prayagraj along with fair arrangements. There should be no shortage of essential items. Pay full attention to the convenience of local residents," the CM said, in light of restrictions on the movement of heavy vehicles into the city which resulted in shortage of essential items in Prayagraj over the past few days. February 12 is an auspicious occasion when Sant Ravidas Jayanti will also be celebrated. With various events planned in several districts, including Seer Govardhanpur in Varanasi, the CM directed all concerned districts to remain alert and ensure all events are conducted in a harmonious atmosphere. The CM highlighted that lakhs of pilgrims visiting Maha Kumbh were also travelling to Varanasi and Ayodhya while many were also heading to Chitrakoot and Mirzapur. With more people expected to arrive over the next two days, special vigilance was required in all these cities. The CM said that administration of all districts should maintain regular contact and use holding areas to manage people and allow them to proceed according to the situation. For better traffic and crowd management, he said, barricading and proper parking arrangements should be provided. The CM also directed officials to identify and take strict action against disruptive elements who are spreading misleading information and to immediately correct such information among the public. He also emphasised on the need to maintain cleanliness and to ensure that there was adequate water available in the Ganga and Yamuna rivers at all times.
