The unexpectedly large number of devotees attending the Maha Kumbh Mela resulted in unprecedented crowds in the mela area. On Saturday, the arrival of more pilgrims than anticipated led to a massive congregation at the bathing ghats. The bathing continued from morning until late evening, impacting traffic on main roads and causing severe congestion.
Prayagraj: On Saturday, the divine and grand Maha Kumbh Mela witnessed a larger-than-anticipated influx of devotees, severely disrupting traffic in Prayagraj. From morning until late evening, lakhs of devotees arrived to take a holy dip in the Sangam, causing massive traffic jams for several hours outside the mela area. Today being the last weekend before the Maha Kumbh's conclusion, a similarly large number of devotees were expected on Sunday, further crippling the city's traffic system.
Traffic jams stretched approximately 25 kilometers, causing significant hardship for travelers. Long queues of vehicles were also observed on routes from Rewa, Varanasi, Kanpur, and other areas.
Huge Crowds at Maha Kumbh
The faith of devotees at the divine and grand Maha Kumbh Mela reached its peak. On Saturday, over 1.11 crore devotees took a holy dip in the Sangam, with the number expected to increase on Sunday. Taking advantage of the holiday, lakhs of devotees began arriving in Prayagraj from Saturday night, resulting in severe traffic jams in the city and on highways.
To manage traffic effectively, the police administration implemented a diversion plan. All vehicles are being diverted from Kokhraj Bypass to Fafamau Bela Kachar parking to ensure devotees can easily reach the mela area and bathe. Vehicles are being stopped 10 kilometers before the Sangam ghat, requiring devotees to walk the remaining distance.
Vehicles Crawled for Kilometers
On Saturday, the first day of the Maha Kumbh Mela's final weekend, the number of devotees and bathers significantly exceeded expectations. Over 90,000 vehicles entered Prayagraj on Saturday, leading to severe traffic congestion. Due to the Sangam ghat being completely full and an extremely high number of pedestrians, vehicles were diverted on several routes, affecting traffic towards Naini, Jhunsi, and Fafamau.
The pressure of vehicles in Prayagraj started increasing from late Friday night. Thousands of devotees arrived from Kaushambi, Lucknow, Pratapgarh, Jaunpur, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Rewa, and Banda in their own vehicles. Based on input received from toll plazas, police officers activated parking areas in different directions, but an unexpected surge of crowds arrived by Saturday morning.
By 11 a.m. on Saturday, the Nehru Park in Dhumanganj, the Air Force Ground, Rewa Road in Naini, Agriculture, Mahewa, Saraswati High-Tech City, Lalbagh in Jhunsi, the sugar mill, Bela Kachar in Fafamau, and Chhota and Bara Baghada parking areas were completely full. The administration then arranged additional parking areas, but devotees had to walk several kilometers, causing considerable inconvenience.
