Well-lit, Sangam area beckons tourists, locals in Allahabad
ALLAHABAD : People in Allahabad can now spend a beautiful evening on the banks of Sangam.
The ghats of Sangam, which otherwise used to wear deserted looks after Magh Mela and some special occasions, have been now illuminated with dozens of LED lights that have been installed by the district administration.
Even the chequered plates which were removed after Magh Mela this year have been once again laid so that people wanting to spend a quite time in the beauty of nature can reach Sangam without getting their vehicles stuck.
“This is a good change to boost tourism in Allahabad in off-season, and the officers should have thought about it much earlier. Generally, every year after Magh Mela all the electricity poles are removed leaving the Sangam area dark and unsafe for the visitors.
Even the chequered plates were also removed due to which vehicles often used to get stuck in the sand. Due to all these reasons people used to avoid coming to Sangam area after evening,” said Santosh Kumar Tewari, a purohit whose wooden seat is located near Sangam.
Tewari said most of pandas and purohits also used to leave Sangam area after sunset due to security issues.
“In the absence of electricity, some handful of shops selling puja items used to remain open in candle light. This initiative of installing lights near ghats was started last year after Magh Mela 2017. Now, all the mela area has been covered,” he added.
A regular visitor to Bade Hanuman temple near Sangam, Anandji said Allahabad had very few places where people could take a break from their busy schedule.
“I come with my family at Bade Hanuman temple on Tuesdays, but we avoided going near ghats as there were no chequered plates. Now, as the ghats have LED lights with proper changing rooms and regular cleaning of the area, it seems Sangam is getting ready for Kumbh Mela from now only,” he added.