Administration gears up for Basant Panchami snan on January 26 in Allahabad

PRAYAGRAJ: With the fourth major snan of the Magh Mela - Basant Panchami -scheduled on January 26, authorities are busy rechecking the preparations made by them to handle a large number of devotees expected to arrive at the mela area to take a holy dip in Sangam.
Officials estimate that around 1.25 crore devotes would be arriving on the occasion. These numbers are high given the fact that the festival coincides with Republic Day, a national holiday resulting in a rush of locals as well to the mela area.
Even as pilgrims have started pouring in from across the country, traffic diversions and restrictions also came into force from Tuesday night and would remain in place till Friday night.
Divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant and mela adhikari Arvind Kumar Chauhan have instructed officials to ensure same arrangements as done for the biggest bathing fest of the Magh Mela on Mauni Amavasya that took place on January 21 to ensure that even if larger number of pilgrims arrive in the mela area due to it being a national holiday, no inconvenience is faced by anyone. Mauni Amavasya snan had witnessed over 2 crore pilgrims taking dip in holy waters of Sangam.
"All preparations are on schedule. Entry and exit of pilgrims will be from different routes so that there is no overcrowding at any one given spot or route. The preparations are same as we did for Mauni Amavasya and we are not taking anything lightly as all departments have been asked to pull up their socks," said mela adhikari and vice chairman of Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA), Arvind Kumar Chauhan.
The number of ghats would be same as was for Mauni Amavasya (17 ghats) and there will be strict vigil by police at every corner of the mela area. "We are also placing more gunny bags at the ghats and on the sides of the river bank, both for the benefits of the devotees and also to check any possible erosion by the currents of river Ganga," said Chauhan. Officials have also decided to increase the count of volunteers at the lost and found centre. Also, there will be a team of volunteers at railway stations that will be in direct contact with mela officials providing information about the movement of trains which would be displayed in the mela area, officials said. Due to the recent rain, some routes have become slippery due to accumulation of sludge and orders have been issued for fresh laying of dry sand over such spots.
Railways and Uttar Pradesh State Roadways Transport Corporation would be running special trains and buses for the convenience of the pilgrims. Railway officials said mela special trains will run from Prayag and Rambagh Railway Stations. The railways had run 13 mela special trains for Mauni Amavasya but for the Basant Panchami snan there will be only four trains. Train number 05110 Banaras-Prayagraj Mela Special will leave from Rambagh on the morning of January 26, officials shared.