By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 12 Dec: The Uttar Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is dedicated to making Mahakumbh 2025 a global symbol of India’s cultural unity. As part of this endeavour, Cabinet Minister of Women’s Welfare, Child Development and Nutrition Baby Rani Maurya led a grand roadshow in Doon today. She highlighted the Mahakumbh as a unique celebration of unity within India’s diversity and invited the Uttarakhand Governor, Lt General Gurmit Singh (Retd), Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, and the people of Uttarakhand to participate in the Prayagraj Mahakumbh-2025. She emphasised that the government is taking significant steps to ensure the event is historic, featuring international participation and state-of-the-art facilities.
Speaking to the media after the roadshow, Maurya emphasised that the Mahakumbh embodies the spirit of India’s cultural and spiritual consciousness and is a divine and vibrant representation of ‘Ek Bharat- Shreshtha Bharat-Samaveshi Bharat (One India, Great India, Inclusive India)’.
During the press conference, she recalled the ‘divine and grand’ experience of the Prayagraj Kumbh in 2019. The world widely acknowledged the efficient management of the event. She claimed that this year’s Mahakumbh will surpass the previous one in both grandeur and divine essence. Prayagraj Mahakumbh-2025 is expected to welcome over 450 million pilgrims, saints, ascetics, and tourists. In preparation, the Uttar Pradesh government has made meticulous and timely arrangements.
She informed the media that the Mahakumbh will take place in Prayagraj from 13 January to 26 February on the sacred banks of the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers. Recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Mahakumbh will once again be held on the holy land of Prayag after a gap of 12 years.
She promised it would be a clean, healthy, safe and digital Mahakumbh. A pledge has been taken to make the event environment friendly by declaring it a single-use plastic-free Mahakumbh. As part of this initiative, various shops for dona-pattal vendors will be allocated within the Mela area, and meetings have been conducted with principals of 400 schools to discuss cleanliness. The initiative for a clean Maha Kumbh is being communicated to 4 lakh children. Under the ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ campaign, the message of a single-use plastic-free environment is being delivered to every household. Approximately three lakh plants have been planted across Prayagraj, with the Uttar Pradesh government pledging to ensure their care and maintenance even after the conclusion of the Mela.
Maurya added that the Mahakumbh Mela will focus on health and hygiene. This includes making healthcare arrangements for pilgrims, sadhus, saints, those observing Kalpwas at Mahakumbh and tourists. A large number of specialist doctors have been deployed. A 100-bed hospital has been set up at the Parade Ground. Two more hospitals with 20 beds each and smaller hospitals with 8 beds have also been prepared. Two 10-bed ICUs have been set up by the Army Hospital at the Mela area and Arail. These hospitals will have doctors on duty 24 hours a day. In total, there will be 291 MBBS doctors and specialists, 90 Ayurvedic and Unani specialists, and 182 nursing staff.
She added that the preparations include the launch of a dedicated website and app, an AI-powered chatbot in 11 languages, QR-based passes for people and vehicles, a multilingual digital lost-and-found centre, ICT monitoring for cleanliness and tents, software for land and facility allocation, multilingual digital signage (VMD), an automated ration supply system, drone-based surveillance and disaster management, live software for monitoring 530 projects, an inventory tracking system, and integration of all locations on Google Maps.
Arrangements have been made to ensure tourists do not face parking issues. In this regard, 101 smart parking facilities have been created, capable of accommodating up to five lakh vehicles daily. These parking facilities will be monitored through the Integrated Control Command Centre.
She added that 35 existing permanent ghats and 9 new ghats have been constructed in the Mahakumbh city to facilitate bathing for devotees. Aerial flower showers will be carried out across all 44 ghats spread over a 12-kilometre area. She further mentioned that a riverfront, modelled after Mumbai’s Marine Drive, has been developed along a 15.25-kilometre stretch on the banks of the Ganga, extending from the Sangam to Nagvasuki Temple, Surdas to Chhatnag, and near Curzon Bridge to Mahavir Puri. Four viewing centres, equipped with 52-seater setups, have been established for real-time CCTV monitoring.
Approximately 450 million devotees are expected to attend the Mahakumbh-2025, marking a significant milestone. Three technical methods will be used to count every individual. The first method is attribute-based search, where tracking will be conducted using person attribute search cameras. The second method involves RFID wristbands, which will be provided to pilgrims. Through these wristbands, entry and exit times will be tracked using RFID readers. The third method is mobile app tracking, and with the consent of the pilgrims their location will be tracked through GPS using a mobile application.
Minister Brijesh Singh stated that the Kumbh is not merely a fair or a ritualistic dip in the holy waters but an eternal and unified proclamation of India’s unity in diversity. The Mahakumbh is a grand festival that immerses all differences, disputes, and divisions in the sacred flow of the river, serving as a unique example of social harmony. He added that the state government is extending invitations for Mahakumbh-2025, the grand festival of Sanatan Indians, to all states across India and the entire world.
