Chaos at UP borders as govt bars vehicle entry to Prayagraj

Thousands of pilgrims and vehicles have been stranded at both eastern and western borders of Uttar Pradesh after authorities halted entry to Prayagraj following a stampede at the Maha Kumbh in the early hours of Wednesday, creating a major challenge across multiple states.

- Shruti Tomar

BHOPAL/REWA: Thousands of pilgrims and vehicles have been stranded at both eastern and western borders of Uttar Pradesh after authorities halted entry to Prayagraj following a stampede at the Maha Kumbh in the early hours of Wednesday, creating a major challenge across multiple states.

The traffic stoppage created two bottlenecks—a 30km jam from Chakghat to Sohagi in Madhya Pradesh, and a massive 250km stretch of stranded vehicles from Gaya in Bihar to Varanasi in UP on National Highway 19 (GT Road)—affecting pilgrims from at least nine states.

On Monday, UP authorities banned entry of heavy vehicles from Bihar at 11:30 a.m. without prior coordination, according to officials. The situation gradually deteriorated through Tuesday when passenger vehicles were also restricted, and worsened further on Wednesday after authorities completely halted all vehicle movement following the stampede.