Prayagraj:
Thousands of devotees en route to the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj are facing an unprecedented crisis as massive traffic jams have brought highways to a standstill. The congestion, which has left vehicles stranded for up to 48 hours, has prompted authorities to take drastic measures to manage the situation. The Prayagraj Sangam railway station has been closed to prevent any untoward incidents due to the overwhelming crowd, and political leaders are criticizing the Uttar Pradesh government for its handling of the situation.
The traffic jams, stretching up to 300 km, have paralyzed the roads leading to Prayagraj from Varanasi, Lucknow, and Kanpur. Police in neighboring Madhya Pradesh have been forced to halt vehicle movement on several routes to Prayagraj, citing the impossibility of navigating through the jammed roads. Travelers are reporting journeys that normally take a few hours now taking 10-12 hours to cover just 50 km.
Local traffic jams within Prayagraj city are also significant, with congestion reported up to 25 km on major routes and a 7 km jam inside the city itself. The Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Kuldeep Singh, attributed the jams to the exceptionally high number of vehicles attempting to reach the Mela site.
To mitigate the chaos, the Prayagraj Sangam railway station has been closed temporarily. According to Kuldeep Tiwari, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (Northern Railway), Lucknow, the decision was made due to the difficulty passengers faced in exiting the station amidst the heavy crowd. North Central Railway has also implemented a single-direction traffic system at the Prayagraj Junction station to streamline the movement of passengers.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has vehemently criticized the Uttar Pradesh government for the traffic congestion, highlighting its impact on the availability of essential commodities in the city. Despite these challenges, the Maha Kumbh festival continues to draw massive crowds, with over 46 lakh devotees taking a dip in the holy Sangam on the day. Since the festival began last month, a total of about 44 crore pilgrims have participated in the sacred ritual.
