Managing 2 cr pilgrims daily for 45 days: a task

Bhanu Bhaskar, ADG, Prayagraj Zone, says techs like AI & machine learning have come handy in crowd management

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As the Maha Kumbh nears its finale on Mahashivratri, Wednesday, it leaves behind a trail of bitter-sweet memories. Bhanu Bhaskar, ADG, Prayagraj Zone, responsible for maintaining Mela security, tells Namita Bajpai that managing a crowd of over 1.5 to 2 crore devotees daily for 45 days is a daunting task. Excerpts:

Did the administration expect such a surge of crowd at the Maha Kumbh? As per previous trends, there is a drop in crowds at the Kumbh or the Maha Kumbh after the fourth snan, which is on the occasion of Basant Panchmi. And after the fifth and the sixth snan, there is a discernible drop in the crowd. But this time, the crowd swelled and we had a consistent flow of 1.5 to 2 crore pilgrims every day.

What was the strategy for crowd management? The pre-mela strategy depends on quite a few things. One was getting inputs about incoming crowds and the pace at which the crowd was coming in. So there was a regular feedback mechanism from all verticals like arterial roads and toll plazas and the railways. These are the regular modes of transport for the pilgrims. There was a regular input mechanism, which was used to take decisions regarding crowd management. Also, we adopted strategies like facilitation and diversion of crowds.