In Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, authorities have temporarily closed the Sangam railway station in order to handle the excessive crowding during the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela. An unprecedented number of people have flocked to the holy event, forcing authorities to take precautions to maintain passenger flow and their safety. The station has briefly been closed as part of the precautionary measures to avoid crowding when the number of pilgrims travelling to the sacred meeting point of the Yamuna, Ganga, and the fabled Saraswati rivers hit critical levels.
One-way Plan At Prayagraj Sangam Railway Station
The Prayagraj Railway has chosen to keep the station’s one-way plan in place till further notice due to the growing number of passengers. Separate entry and departure paths have been set aside for pilgrims on the railway station grounds to guarantee safe and easy rail travel. The one-way plan states that passengers can only enter Prayagraj Junction from the city side at Platform No. 1, and they can exit by Platforms No. 6 and No. 10, which are on the Civil Lines side.
The Sangam railway station will be closed in order to relieve the strain on the community’s infrastructure and give officials time to put in place more effective crowd management measures. For crowd control, more RPF officers have been deployed at every station. The station and the surrounding communities will experience less stress as a result of the temporary shutdown. In addition to making other preparations for the safe passage of pilgrims, train services have been diverted to other nearby stations.
Maha Kumbh Crowd Surge
In the meantime, officials in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh announced on Saturday that hundreds of cars en route to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh had been halted because of the heavy traffic and to prevent crowding. In several locations, local traffic cops even asked tourists to go back. Since Friday night, vehicles travelling north, the majority of which are carrying worshippers, are only permitted to move forward with authorisation from Uttar Pradesh officials.
Also Read: Mahakumbh 2025: For The First Time, Pilgrims Can Use Google To Navigate Ghats, Akharas & Saints
Since the morning, numerous cars — most of which were from southern states and Maharashtra—were stuck in the districts of Katni, Maihar, and Rewa. According to Rewa range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Saket Prakash Pandey, cars were being checked at Chakghat. Over 42 crore individuals have already taken the sacred dip in the 26 days since the Kumbh Mela began.
Cover Image Credits: funnykhata/X & Abhinav12989894/X
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