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By establishing waiting zones at border crossings and maintaining open routes back from Prayagraj, Yogi Adityanath has prompted police to regulate crowd movement.
A day after a stampede at the MahaKumbh in Prayagraj left 30 dead and 60 wounded, the Uttar Pradesh government handed out five tighter safety measures, including a no-vehicle zone.
Vaibhav Krishna, the deputy inspector general of MahaKumbh, said that the stampede was caused by pilgrims pushing against barricades while trying to reach the Sangam (confluence).
Following the incident, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath met late into the night with senior officials from various districts. The incident happened on Wednesday as millions of pilgrims rushed to take a holy dip on Mauni Amavasya, a crucial day of the MahaKumbh Mela.
He gave them instructions to maintain return routes from Prayagraj open and to set up holding zones at border crossings in order to restrict crowd movement.
Here is a list of measures
- Yogi Adityanath ordered a judicial investigation into the stampede and instructed officials to maintain traffic flow in the MahaKumbh Mela region, reduce crowding, and avoid needless stops.
- Police officials have been instructed to increase patrols in the region and maintain clear traffic on major roads, such as Ayodhya-Prayagraj, Kanpur-Prayagraj, Fatehpur-Prayagraj, Lucknow-Pratapgarh-Prayagraj, and Varanasi-Prayagraj, in order to control the crowd and traffic flow. Every path leading back from Prayagraj needs to stay clear and open.
- Vehicles from districts bordering Prayagraj are being stopped at the district borders, with a blanket ban on the entry of four-wheelers into the city until February 4.
- Vehicle access into the area will be absolutely forbidden, with no exceptions, and no special passes will be given out.
- In order to prevent traffic jams, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh has also directed that street sellers who are present on public highways be moved to empty spaces.
- Depending on the circumstances on the ground, devotees need to be free to roam around. All holding areas within the Mela must have sufficient food and drinking water facilities.
- Additionally, Adityanath stated that the Amrit Snan will occur on February 3rd, Basant Panchami. He gave the Director General of Police and the Chief Secretary instructions to evaluate the Mela plans on Thursday.
