Camps, roadblocks as pilgrims spill over

Day after stampede, thousands stranded in UP as authorities set up holding centres and put up barricades to absorb massive wave of tourists

- HT Correspondents

LUCKNOW: The massive influx of Maha Kumbh pilgrims dispersed across Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, forcing major pilgrimage sites beyond Prayagraj to absorb unprecedented crowds as authorities created extensive holding areas and implemented traffic diversions, with roads barricaded up to 20km from major religious centres.

While thousands remain stranded at state borders following Wednesday's stampede at Maha Kumbh that prompted authorities to throttle pilgrim routes, the pressure intensified in Ayodhya, Varanasi, and Chitrakoot, where local administration officials acknowledged they are stretched to their limits.

The situation is expected to escalate further with the next Amrit Snan scheduled for February 3. "We have made holding areas in Prayagraj's adjoining districts including Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Kaushambi to control the flow into the Maha Kumbh and diversions on roads and highways heading towards other pilgrimage cities," said an additional director general rank officer at UP Police headquarters in Lucknow, asking not to be named.

Data released by officials revealed the scale of movement: over 6.5 million devotees reached Ayodhya within 96 hours after taking their Maha Kumbh dip on Mauni Amavasya, one of the most auspicious days of the period.

The city now accommodates approximately 2.5 million visitors daily, with about 250,000 seeking darshan at the Ram temple. "We are continuously reviewing and monitoring to provide better arrangements and a safe environment for devotees coming from the Mahakumbh to Ayodhya," said CV Singh, Ayodhya district magistrate.