Prayagraj: After Mauni Amavasya Snan that witnessed a footfall of over 4.52 crore, the Magh Mela police on Wednesday claimed to have drafted a “zero error” scheme for the next major bathing festival of Basant Panchami scheduled for Jan 23 (Friday).The mela administration expects over 1 to 1.5 crore devotees to take a dip on Basant Panchami and Achala Saptmi snan parva. The mela police implemented a traffic restriction and diversion plan on Wednesday midnight that will remain effective till Sunday. The mela police has strategically deployed a strong posse of 15,000 policemen to control the crowd. Ahead of the third main snan, the top brass of administrative, police and medical officials are all set to comply with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s directive of “zero error”, with an emphasis on crowd and traffic management. The mela area, which spans 24 ghats, saw continuous preparations to regulate crowds. A crucial part of these efforts is a special crowd management plan designed to maintain safety and order and ensure smooth flow of traffic. Talking to TOI, SP (Magh Mela) Neeraj Pandey said: “Since mela witnessed over 4.52 crore visitors on Mauni Amavasya and 1.85 crore devotees on Makar Sankranti, we expect a similar or higher turnout. We are on high alert and all necessary steps are in place to ensure all devotees have a safe and blissful snan.” He said devotees are requested not to linger unnecessarily on the ghats after bathing and to refrain from eating or drinking on the ghats. The entire mela will be a ‘no vehicle zone’ till Jan 25, with a one-way traffic system, restrictions on vehicles entering Prayagraj limits, a diversion plan through barricades, holding areas and no overcrowding on ghats. Apart from implementing an 8-tier security plan, joint teams of mela police and paramilitary personnel at 28 static points will regulate the flow of devotees. Special security arrangements are deployed at significant entry points, including the New Yamuna, Shastri and Phaphmau bridges. Additional PAC and motorcycle patrols will provide enhanced vigilance in these areas. Special measures are established to manage traffic flow across the pontoon bridges. A dedicated police team is set up to communicate regularly with devotees through public announcements on loudspeakers, urging them to follow rules and avoid creating congestion. Special holding areas are arranged to manage the flow of devotees at key points.
