With Sangam city ready to welcome 40 crore devotees during 45-day-long Mahakumbh, the fair administration, along with Railways, has completed preparations to avoid any inconvenience to the devotees during the biggest religious congregation of the world.

The Mahakumbh will commence on January 13 with Paush Purnima and will end on Mahashivratri on February 26.

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Chief Public Relations Officer of North Central Railway (NCR) Shashikant Tripathi said here on Sunday that the fair administration has estimated the arrival of about 40 crore devotees in Mahakumbh. “Controlling such a large crowd is no less than a challenge for the Railways. Railways has also made proper preparations to make the journey to Mahakumbh easier for the devotees,” he claimed.

He said separate routes have been made for the entry and the exit to the Mahakumbh so that people can enjoy the unique beauty of Mahakumbh and leave without facing confusion. Along with this, crowd control measures have also been taken at the railway station. Devotees will be able to reach the platform only through the passenger centers built outside the stations.

The Railways will operate approximately 13,000 trains during the 50 days of Mahakumbh. Also, this operation will continue till two days after the conclusion of Mahakumbh. Out of 13,000 trains running during Mahakumbh, 10,000 will be regular and 3,000 special trains. Besides, 700 Mela special trains have been operated keeping in mind the devotees coming from far away places. Apart from these, 1,800 short distance trains will be operated for the devotees coming from a distance of 200 to 300 kilometres.

The Railways are also going to run ring rail in this Mahakumbh and by travelling in it, devotees can travel from Prayagraj to Chitrakoot, Banaras, and Ayodhya. CPRO said the Railways and the fair administration are working together to make the Maha Kumbh experience of the devotees memorable. Mela officials said strict arrangements have also been made for the security of the devotees in Mahakumbh. Special deployment of NDRF has also been made to prevent any untoward incident. Yesterday, NCR, Prayagraj Fair Authority and other organizations together conducted a joint mega mock drill.

The purpose of this exercise is to provide the devotees coming to Mahakumbh with the experience of a grand and safe event. Along with this, any emergency situation can also be dealt with.

NDRF officials said that this mock drill event has been organized to increase mutual coordination between all the agencies involved in the security of Mahakumbh. Mohsin Siddiqui, Deputy Inspector General (Operations), and Manoj Kumar, Sharma Deputy Inspector General Nodal Officer, NDRF, conducted the exercise under their supervision.