The state govt makes big decisions. If you are planning to visit Mahakumbh Mela then this article is for you. The government is gearing up for the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj with some serious planning this time around. They’ve set aside a whopping budget of Rs 5,000 crore, expecting around 40 crore devotees to join in. The Railways are also stepping up, making special arrangements to handle the massive influx of people.
To accommodate the crowds, the Railways is planning to run special trains for the Mahakumbh, which takes place from January 13 to February 26. There are talks about introducing new facilities for passengers during this period, thanks to the efforts of the Uttar Pradesh government. It seems the Yogi government has been in close discussions with the Railways to make this happen.
If the Railways rolls out these facilities, it’s sure to make the journey smoother for the devotees. According to Dainik Bhaskar, there’s a possibility of offering free travel for general coach passengers heading back from the Mahakumbh, and they’re finalizing the necessary steps for this. An announcement is expected soon.
With an estimated 40 to 45 crore people set to attend the Kumbh Mela, the 45-day event in Prayagraj is going to be huge. The Railways anticipates that around five lakh passengers will be using general coaches daily during the Kumbh. Distributing kits to such a large number of passengers each day will be quite a task. Because of this, they might even waive the mandatory purchase of general tickets during the event. The Railways is planning to operate 3,000 special trains to facilitate travel for the Mahakumbh.
Passengers running in general coaches will get benefit
The benefit of this facility will be given to the passengers running in the general coach who will be returning from the Kumbh Mela. Passengers traveling from the rest of the categories will have to travel with a reserve kit. However, it is being considered by the Railways to make a rule that passengers will be able to travel only from 200 to 250 km from Prayagraj for free.
If a passenger has to travel more than 250 km from Prayagraj, then it will be assumed from the railway side that the passenger could not take the ticket in the crowd. Such a passenger will be able to get a ticket from the TTE in the train and he will not have to pay any penalty. However, no official announcement has been made on this proposal yet.
