 "Vehicles stuck in a jam due to traffic restrictions during the ongoing Mahakumbh Mela 2025, in Prayagraj, Sunday, February 9, 2025. PTI")
Millions of devotees are visiting Maha Kumbh Mela this year in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj to take a holy dip in Triveni Sangam.
But a 300-kilometre traffic jam has disrupted the city, trapping thousands of devotees in an endless stream of cars.
On Sunday, many travelling to the biggest holy event in the world were left stranded in their cars, kilometres from where they were supposed to be.
Here’s all we know about it.
Massive traffic jam in lead up to Prayagraj
Thousands of cars, primarily from southern states and Maharashtra, were stranded and could only move forward at a snail’s pace on Sunday due to the heavy traffic.
Police in several districts, like Katni, Maihar, and Rewa districts, of neighbouring Madhya Pradesh have said it was “impossible to move" towards Prayagraj as the traffic jam spread up to 200 to 300 kilometres.
From Varanasi, Lucknow, and Kanpur leading to Prayagraj, traffic jams of up to 25 kilometres was reported.
In fact, within Prayagraj itself, a jam of about seven kilometres was witnessed.
A commuter wrote on social media, “Traffic Jam of 15 KM before Jabalpur… Still 400 KM to Prayagraj. Please read traffic situation before coming to Mahakumbh,” while another one, added, “Caught in probably the biggest traffic jam (15-20 kilometres) in the world at Kumbh… Prayagraj is completely gridlocked.”
A man stuck in traffic said, “It is being claimed that vehicles are stuck for 48 hours. It is taking almost 10-12 hours to cover just 50 kilometres.”
Over 43 crore devotees have taken a holy dip at the Maha Kumbh since it began on January 13.
The event will conclude on February 26.
Also read: Maha Kumbh and the multi-crore mela economy explained
The reason
According to police, overcrowding during the weekends is one of the major reasons behind the snarls.
The jams were caused by the weekend rush, said Inspector General of Police (Rewa zone) Saket Prakash Pandey, according to NDTV.
He said the situation is likely to ease in a couple of days and vehicles are being allowed only in coordination with the Prayagraj administration.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Kuldeep Singh was quoted by the channel saying the jam was due to a very high number of vehicles trying to reach the Mela site.
“The number of vehicles is very high. The passengers are trying to come as close as possible to the Maha Kumbh Mela area. Due to this, there is a long jam,” he said.
Also read: Fire breaks out at Mahakumbh, no casualty reported; fire tenders at spot
Prayagraj Sangam railway station closed
The Prayagraj district administration said that the Sangam station of Northern Railway, Lucknow division, will be closed for passenger movement starting 1.30 pm on February 9 to 12:00 midnight on February 14.
The move comes in order to prevent any undesirable events.
“Since the passengers were facing difficulty in getting out of the station due to heavy crowd outside Prayagraj Sangam station, it was decided to close it in view of the heavy crowd of devotees,” said Railways officer Kuldeep Tiwari.
“Additionally, it is to inform that the operation of regular and special trains is continuing normally at the other eight stations in the Mahakumbh area, which include Prayagraj Chheoki, Naini, Prayagraj Junction, Subedarganj, Prayag, Phaphamau, Prayagraj Rambagh, and Jhusi,” the order said.
At the Prayagraj Junction station, there is currently only one direction of traffic.
Also read: Maha Kumbh: Rs 50,000 for air tickets to Prayagraj. What’s going on?
Akhilesh Yadav’s dig at government
Taking a dig at the Uttar Pradesh government led by BJP’s Yogi Adityanath, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “Immediate emergency arrangements should be made for the millions of devotees stuck at the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh. The pilgrims, hungry, thirsty, exhausted, and stuck in traffic from all sides, should be viewed with humanity. Isn’t the common devotee a human being?"
He also shared a video of the traffic jam and demanded the toll-free movement.
“On the occasion of Mahakumbh, vehicles in UP should be made toll-free; this would reduce travel obstacles and the problem of traffic jams. If films can be made tax-free for entertainment, why can’t vehicles be made tax-free during the great festival of Mahakumbh?" he said.
Further today, he said that the devotees have been “cut off" from their families due to low batteries on their phones.
“People stuck in traffic are trapped in their vehicles for hours. There is no place even for women to take care of their basic needs. No arrangements have been made to care for those who are collapsing on the roads due to exhaustion. Devotees’ mobile phone batteries have died, cutting them off from their families. The lack of communication and information has increased anxiety among the people," he posted on X.
“No responsible minister or official is seen taking control of the situation. The Chief Minister has already proven to be a complete failure, and the Deputy Chief Minister and several well-known ministers from Prayagraj are nowhere to be found. Is there anyone who truly cares about the suffering devotees?" he added.
With inputs from agencies