Prayagraj, 8 Jan: After a two-year hiatus due to a coronavirus epidemic, devotees flocked to the city for the month-long Magh Mela, despite the government implementing a plethora of steps to prevent the disease’s spread at the fair location.
In response to the escalating COVID-19 incidents in China and other countries, Magh Mela officials have adopted a number of precautions, including the establishment of support centres, clinics, police stations, and proper security. The Mela is also being seen as a dress rehearsal for the Maha Kumbh in 2025.
According to K K Verma, Additional Director (Health), support desks have been put up at each access point in the fair area where preliminary screening of persons visiting the fair is done, and if any signs of coronavirus are identified, he is not permitted to proceed to the fair. He stated that throughout the whole Mela region, two hospitals with 20 beds each have been opened, as well as ten hospitals with two beds each for first assistance. He stated that a huge number of sweepers had been dispatched to maintain the cleanliness of the arena. According to Aditya Kumar Shukla, Superintendent of Police (Magh Mela), 13 police stations and 38 police posts have been established at the fairgrounds.
“For security measures at the fair, two superintendents of police (SPs), three assistant superintendents of police (ASPs), nine circle officers (COs), and 5,000 policemen have been deployed,” he stated. The officials, on the other hand, stated that establishing a reliable communication infrastructure in the Mela area is difficult.
The Magh Mela, which covers an area of around 650 hectares, has only one mobile tower placed on the Gangoli Shivala Marg, resulting in a minimal mobile phone service across the fair area. Pankaj Kumar, a revenue officer, stated that because the fair was conducted considerably earlier this time, a necessary number of cell towers could not be constructed. The authorities are attempting to deploy additional mobile towers.
The lack of a functioning cellphone network causes issues for both worshippers and administrative personnel. This year’s mela area has been enlarged to 650 hectares, up from 641 hectares last year. Pandit Rajendra Mishra, President of Triveni Sangam Aarti Seva Samiti and Jyotishacharya, stated that 3,000-5,000 organisations had set up camps at the Mela this year. Many Kalpavasis will spend a month at Khak Chowk, Dandi Bada, and Achari Bada. Notably, the ‘kalpvasis’ live in tents for a month. They bathe twice a day in the Ganga and eat just once. The balance of their time is spent listening to bhajanas and reading religious materials.
Dharmendra Shukla, who travelled from Kaushambi, said the Mela’s security is heightened this year. He claims that there are more policemen on the grounds this year than previous. Over 5 lakh people bathed in the sacred Sangam and Ganga rivers on January 6, according to the Uttar Pradesh government.
The next Magh Mela bathing festival will take place on January 14, Makar Sankranti.
This year, 14 bathing ghats have been set up. Screens have been put in a control centre to monitor the whole fair area and crowd management, according to a Magh Mela administration official. On the Ganga river, five pontoon bridges have been installed to facilitate the flow of worshippers. Vehicles are not permitted at the fairgrounds, he noted.
