Prayagraj, January 18: A day before Mauni Amavasya, the third bathing festival of Magh Mela, a unique scene of faith and devotion was witnessed on the banks of the Sangam. A huge influx of devotees started pouring towards the Sangam area since early Sunday morning. According to the fair administration, approximately 4 crore 52 lakh devotees took a holy dip till late Sunday evening.
According to the Magh Mela administration, one crore three lakh people took a holy dip till 8 am, three crore 15 lakh by 12 noon, 3 crore 82 lakh by 4 pm and 4 crore 36 lakh people took a holy dip till 6 pm. Thus, the bathing festival of Mauni Amavasya was completed safely and without any hindrance.
The administration remained fully prepared to ensure the convenience, safety, and smooth conduct of the Magh Mela. All senior officers remained stationed in the fair area since last night, regularly monitoring the arrangements.
During this period, Additional Director General of Police Jyoti Narayan, Inspector General of Police Ajay Mishra, Divisional Commissioner Soumya Agarwal, Prayagraj Police Commissioner Jogendra Kumar, Additional Commissioner Ajay Pal Sharma, District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma, Mela Officer Rishiraj, and Mela Superintendent of Police Neeraj Pandey provided necessary guidance.
According to the Mela administration, the careful and well-planned arrangements made by the administration resulted in no inconvenience to the devotees. However, the closure of roads at various locations certainly caused difficulties for city residents. Crowds of devotees were seen walking.
This time, the registered Rapido bike service also provided easy transportation to the Sangam area. Thousands of people were transported from various pickup points to the nearest parking areas.