Kumbh Mela 2019 : State Govt builds a ‘New City’ for the Kumbh Mela!
Kumbh Mela held on the banks of Ganga is considered as one of the largest religious gatherings on earth. It is organised every 12 years at Triveni Sangam where Kumbh Mela turns into Ardh Kumbh Mela after 6 years.
This year the Ardh Kumbh Mela will begin from January 14 and continue till March 3 at the Triveni Sangam – the holy confluence of river Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. Kumbh mela has already been included by UNESCO in the list of ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’.
According to ANI, the Governement for Kumbh Mela this year has constructed a new largest temporary city along Prayagraj, which has 250-km long roads and 22 pontoon bridges. The temporary city is said to be one of a kind in the world with best amenities for the Devotees.
Nearly 12 crore devotees, representatives of 192 countries are expected to visit the Kumbh Mela. are expected to visit the Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj
Uttar Pradesh medical and technical education minister Ashutosh Tandon speaking to the media has said that “the objective is to make efforts to familiarise the world with the high quality life, conduct and thoughts of the Indian culture through the Kumbh.
As part of the preparations for Kumbh , 671 projects have been completed during the last one and a half years, he said and added that the state government has set aside an amount of Rs 2800 crore for the mega event. “For convenience of tourists and devotees, nine flyovers on the roads leading to Prayagraj have been constructed in just one and a half years,’’ he said.
Elaborate security arrangements have also been made for the grand event. The Kumbh Mela will be organised under the surveillance of Integrated Control and Command Centre and CCTV Cameras. A statement released by the Uttar Pradesh government read, “Integrated Control and Command Centre of the smart city project has been dedicated to Prayagraj. The system will facilitate controlling and keeping safe the traffic movement and the crowd coming to Mela.
There will be two Control and Command Centres under a scheme of about Rs 247 crore in Prayagraj. Of these, one Control and Command Centre costing Rs 116 crore has been completed and made functional.” The statement issued by the government has also mentioned that apart from beautifying the city more than 40,000 LED bulbs have been installed to brighten up the Kumbh Mela.
The minister informed that 1,22,000 toilets have been constructed and sanitation workers more than double in number as compared to the previous Kumbh have been deployed in Prayagraj Kumbh-2019. He said that 20,000 dustbins have been placed in the Mela area besides deploying 140 tippers and 40 compactors for ensuring solid waste management. Tandon said that to keep the river Ganga clean, 32 drains opening in the Ganga have been sealed. He added that Indian Inland Waterways Authority has set up five jetties in the Mela area. “These jetties are facilitating operation of large cruises and motor boats in Prayagraj for the first time,’’ the minister claimed.
