Kumbh begins today, 1.25 cr expected to take the holy dip
20,000 police and paramilitary personnel deployed at strategic places in Mela area for security
PRAYAGRAJ:The stage is set for the commencement of the muchpublicised 49-day Kumbh Mela with its first official bathing of Makar Sankranti on Tuesday to be undertaken by about 1.25 crore devotees.
The muhurat (auspicious time) of bathing is between 2.19am and 4.30pm on Tuesday.
Heavy security arrangements are in place with police and paramilitary forces deployed at strategic places in Kumbh Mela area and other places in the city.
Additional director general (ADG) zone SN Sabat, inspector general (IG) range Mohit Agarwal and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kumbh KP Singh gave necessary instructions to officials over security and traffic arrangements during the first ‘snan’ of Kumbh.
The SSP informed that over 20,000 police, PAC, RAF, BSF, SSB, home guards and other paramilitary personnel had been deployed in the Kumbh Mela area for security of pilgrims.
Meanwhile, mela officials claimed that around 35 lakh devotees took the holy dip on Monday. According to Kumbh Mela officer Vijay Kiran Anand over 6,000 organizations had been allotted land this time in the mela area. Also, 94 parking zones had been created in different parts of the city and its outskirts for ensuring smooth movement of traffic during the mela period, he said.
Anand said 5,000 volunteers had been deputed for guiding devotees and tourists in the mela area.He added that to make the mela a memorable event for the devotees, a laser show would be held on the wall of Akbar’s fort on the banks of Sangam, besides the ‘Akshaywat’ (holy tree) and ‘Saraswati Koop’ (holy well) in the fort premises have been opened for devotees.
Referring to the theme of ‘Swachch Kumbh’, Anand said over one lakh toilets had been made functional in the mela area, 17,000 dustbins were placed at various points and 25,000 sanitation staff deployed for maintaining cleanliness.
Anand said 20,000 rain ‘baseras’ for accommodating devotees, besides staging of over 500 cultural programmes showcasing different cultures and traditions of the country at seven mega pandals would help make the event memorable.
As part of crowd management strategy, the mela administration will make devotees, arriving from different routes towards mela area, take bath at the nearest bathing ghat, he added.
It may be mentioned that bathing would take place at 35 bathing ghats roughly stretched over an area of 5.5 km in the mela area.
Moreover, for avoiding congestion during ‘shahi snan’ of different akhadas, the mela administration, in consultation with the akhadas, has finalised timing and order of the ‘shahi snan’ for each of the akhadas along with the time they would spend at the Sangam.
The Mahanirvani and Atal Akhadas would lead the ‘shahi