Maha Kumbh surge: Unending queues from highways to KVD

Varanasi: Long and winding queues, stretched from highways and railway stations to Kashi Vishwanath Dham, are continuing even into the night hours.
Though halting crowds on highways reduced the influx of pilgrims from eastern districts and neighbouring states on Wednesday, once traffic began to normalise and trains from Prayagraj started bringing pilgrims, a very heavy crowd headed to Kashi Vishwanath Dham again.
All parking zones established on the city's outskirts were operational and vehicles coming from any highway were strictly diverted to them by police. This ensured that traffic inside the city limits moved without choking at any place. An appeal by commissioner of police Mohit Agrawal to locals to avoid using their four-wheelers also helped reduce the traffic load on city roads. As a result, the flow of pilgrims entering the city from the highway remained steady up to the areas where queues leading to the KV temple started.
To monitor the situation, district magistrate S Rajalingam and additional commissioner of police S Chinappa moved along the ghats by the Ganga, camped at Godowlia crossing and visited the temple. They interacted with people in queues to gather feedback. They also reviewed arrangements at Dashashwamedh Ghat and advised pilgrims to board boats only after obtaining life jackets, reporting any boat operators charging extra or not providing life jackets. They inspected the ghats from an NDRF motorboat.
As the frequency of trains, especially from the Prayagraj side, was high and a large number of trains on Delhi and other routes were cancelled, Varanasi Junction, Banaras railway station and City railway station became overcrowded. The DM and Additional CP also assessed the situation at the railway stations. During their stay at Varanasi Junction, station director Arpit Gupta briefed them on train operations and passenger facilities. He requested the removal of vehicles from the parking area after which the DM directed traffic police to address the issue immediately. Instructions were given to move passengers from the railway overbridge to a nearby holding area and to continuously announce vehicle movements to avoid inconvenience. Both officials observed the boarding process on the railway overbridge.
To review the arrangement at Kashi Vishwanath temple, divisional commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma, along with chief executive officer Vishwa Bhushan and DCP Surya Kant Tripathi visited the shrine area and assessed the facilities. The commissioner asked for ensuring cleanliness, water supply, crowd management, security, medical services, and other essential services for the devotees.