As millions of devotees are still ascending to Prayagraj to attend the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela, severe traffic jams have paralysed the city, with pilgrims not being able to reach the Triveni Sangam — the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers on time to take the holy dip. The Prayagraj Sangam railway station has also been closed till Friday due to excessive crowd.
Taking a jab at the Uttar Pradesh government over mismanagement, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “The hungry, thirsty, distressed and tired pilgrims stuck in traffic jams should be looked at with a humane perspective. Are common devotees not human beings?”On Sunday, hundreds of vehicles could be seen queued up on the Sangam road and moving at a snail’s pace as police barricaded the stretch for an orderly movement of pilgrims. The road connects to the Civil Lines, and if one does not want to choose that, they can take the Shastri Bridge route to reach Triveni Sangam.Police in Madhya Pradesh’s Maihar said that it was “impossible to move towards Prayagraj as there is a traffic jam of 200-300 km”.Since the Maha Kumbh commenced on January 13, more than 43 crore devotees have taken a holy dip in the Sangam.
On Sunday, Akhilesh Yadav posted several tweets, highlighting the traffic situation in Prayagraj and called on the Uttar Pradesh government to make immediate emergency arrangements for the stranded pilgrims. In one post, the Samajwadi Party chief said, “On the occasion of Maha Kumbh, vehicles should be made toll free in UP. This will reduce travel problems and also the problem of traffic jams. When films can be made entertainment tax free, then why not vehicles be made toll free?”
