Yogi govt’s innovations at Magh Mela will serve as the basis for upcoming Mahakumbh
By Our Correspondent
Prayagraj: The Magh Mela, which is considered the biggest annual gathering of faith, held on the banks of Sangam in Prayagraj, concluded successfully with the ‘Mahashivratri snan.’ This year’s Magh Mela witnessed over 10 lakh devotees taking a holy dip on Mahashivratri.
Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh government introduced several new initiatives to imbue this year’s Magh Mela with a sense of divinity, grandeur, and innovation.
According to Magh Mela officer Dayanand Prasad, the influx of devotees at Sangam continued from the morning of Mahashivratri. Over 10 lakh devotees had partaken in the holy dip at Sangam. He further mentioned that during the six main bathing festivals of this 54-day-long Magh Mela, more than 3 crore 27 lakh devotees have taken the holy dip.
The state government organized this year’s Magh Mela while keeping in mind the arrangements for the upcoming Maha Kumbh. Hence, this Magh Mela also served as a laboratory for innovations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. Magh Mela officer Dayanand Prasad mentioned that several new innovations were implemented during this Magh Mela. For the first time in Magh Mela, over 165 LED solar hybrid street lights were installed for continuous lighting and energy conservation.
He further informed that keeping in view the cleanliness and convenience of the devotees, 21,000 toilets were built in the entire fair area. Additionally, to provide pure drinking water to devotees and tourists in the Magh Mela area, 10 water ATMs were installed. Thematic and spiral lights were used along the main routes of the fair area.
Furthermore, delineator lights were used for the first time on the Pontoon Bridge of the fair area. This innovation was applied in two pontoon bridges in the fair area. The Irrigation Department utilized geobags for the first time to prevent erosion caused by the flow of river water in the fairground. To manage the massive crowd of devotees and tourists coming to the Magh Mela, Artificial Intelligence was effectively used for the first time.
Innovative experiments introduced by tourism department
For tourists and devotees attending the Magh Mela, the Tourism Department also implemented innovative measures. Uttar Pradesh witnessed its first floating restaurant during this Magh Mela, which was inaugurated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Alongside initiating the floating restaurant, mini cruises boating services on the Yamuna River were also introduced.
Regional Tourism Officer of Prayagraj, Aparajita Singh, mentioned that the mini cruise boating service has been started in Yamuna river from Triveni Club to Sujavan Dev Temple. For this, two mini cruises were prepared at a cost of Rs 240.00 lakh to facilitate water tourism experiences for visitors. Additionally, as part of the Magh Mela festivities, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) were offered the opportunity to participate in a heritage walk.
According to Nilesh Narayan, director of the tour company Holy Waters India Journeys, this time the 50-member NRI and foreign tourists who came to Magh Mela were taken on a heritage walk. This covered religious ashrams and akharas, allowing participants to explore the city’s religious and historical sites after taking a holy dip in the Sangam. These innovations could prove beneficial for the upcoming Kumbh Mela.
