Wide range of entertainment for benefit of visitors at Sangam on the cards
PRAYAGRAJ : Prayagraj Mela Authority has decided to develop Sangam—the holy confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati—into a more popular round-the-year tourist spot. As of now, Sangam area witnesses heavy influx of visitors but only on special religious occasions.
“On other days, the visitors are limited to a few thousand and almost all of them leave the area by late evening. But now the plan is to a turn it into a tourist spot where visitors can enjoy till late night,” said Mela Adhikari Vivek Kumar Chaturvedi.
Besides better lighting, deputing additional security personnel and CCTV cameras, multiple flush toilets and organised parking facilities are also part of the plan.
The plan is also to have eateries selling a wide range of vegetarian delights besides swings and rides for kids where tourists can enjoy well into the night, say the officials privy to the plan.
Following instructions of district magistrate Bhanu Chandra Goswami in a recently held meeting, the mela authority have drawn up a blueprint of the ambitious plan.
“We would be installing CCTV cameras and deploy security personnel to keep a watch on any anti-social elements. Besides, proper lightening arrangements would be made on every approach road as well as the developed area,” said the mela officer.
For this, the authorities have floated tenders for putting up 50 toilets in sets of five to be spread in the entire area. Each of these set would have 200 litre of water tank for flushing and washing hands.
One toilet unit in each set would be such that it fulfils the need of persons with disability. They would be accessible to a wheelchair-bound person and the toilets for the disabled will also have reflective signage to assist the partially blind people.
The mela authority will also employ trained workforce, including electrician and sanitation staff, in shifts.
All the facilities would be put in place in such a way that they can be removed at the time of floods in the Sangam area. When the flood water recedes, everything will be moved back and start functioning once again.
“There would an amusement zone spread across 40,000 square feet having giant wheel, rocking chair, hip-hop rides, mini-train, bumper car, maze and kids’ corner. There would be shops selling fast food and other items except full-fledged food stall and pooja items,” said Chaturvedi.
However, the authorities have made it clear that in the name of entertainment, only religious activities related to simulation, projection mapping, theatre, digital interface etc would be allowed in the amusement zone which would come up near the Sangam nose.