With the state government expecting crowds to swell many times over the last Kumbh of 2001, which saw 1.1 crore people converge here on Makar Sankranti (Jan 14) and 3.5 crore on Mauni Amavasya (Feb 10), the government is making arrangements not only to take in the voluminous crowds but also ensure smooth passage of all bathing days, says director general of police (DGP) A.C. Sharma.
This time, the Kumbh is also longer by 11 days, and people will congregate at the site for 55 days. The number of parking areas has been increased to 99 from 44 in the Ardh Kumbh of 2007.
For the first time, special emphasis is being laid on proper signage. Boards will come up at over 30 places. Nearly 156.2 km of temporary roads have been laid by the public works department. The Jal Nigam has made provision for supply of 80,000 kilolitres of potable water, and laid 550 km of temporary pipelines.
With inclement weather and other concerns also to be taken into account this year, the state government has made efforts to provide uninterrupted power to the mela site and 73 sub-stations have been built. There are 22,000 temporary street lights in the mela area.
