Lucknow/Prayagraj (UP), Jan 12 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh has said that 35 crore pilgrims are expected to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela taking place in the vicinity of Sangam - the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati.

He also said that during the period of Mauni Amavasya, an estimated four-five crore devotees are expected to reach the holy city and participate in the festivities.

Singh said that the state budget for the 45-day-long mega event is around Rs 7,000 crore, and added that "the last Kumbh was known for sanitation. This time it is sanitation, security and digital Kumbh.

"2019 was Kumbh. This is Maha Kumbh, and in the last Kumbh, we received 24 crore pilgrims, and this time we are expecting more than 35 crore pilgrims. Arrangements are also being made like that.

"The area of the Mela has increased by almost 25 per cent. This time it is being set up at around 4,000 hectares, while in the last Kumbh, it was set up in an area of around 3,200 hectares," Singh told PTI in an interview.

Drawing further comparison with the 2019 Kumbh, Singh said, "This time, we have divided the Mela area into 25 sectors as compared to 20 sectors in 2019. The lengths of ghats have been increased to 12 kilometres (in 2025) from eight kilometres (in 2019). The parking area too has been increased to 1850 hectares this time as compared to 1291 hectares in 2019.

"There was a drastic change when you compare what was done in 2013 and 2019, and you will find a quantum improvement and jump this time, because money-wise also, last time we had spent around Rs 3,500 crore, and this time it is just double, and we are spending around Rs 7,000 crore. The state budget for the Maha Kumbh is Rs 7,000 crore." The central government's departments have also invested a lot, he said, adding, "in the railways you will find revamping, National Highways also," he said.

When asked about the arrangements for Mauni Amavasya, he said it has always seen the highest number of visitors during Kumbh. "An estimated four-five crore devotees are expected during the period of Mauni Amawasya this time (from January 25 to January 30), while in 2019, the figures stood at three-four crore. There are six important (major bathing) dates on which there will be more pilgrims and more crowd.

"So, on those days, as a precautionary measure, the state government does not extend any VIP protocol to anybody. So, we request all the VVIPs not to come on those six days. We try to accommodate or invite them for days, which are non-major bathing days." The estimated number of Kalpvasis in the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 is 15-20 lakh, while it was 10 lakh in 2019, he said.

The number of pontoon bridges has also witnessed a rise to 30 this time from 22 in 2019, while the mela area's road length has been increased to more than 450 kilometres from 299 kilometres.

The number of streetlights has also increased to 67,000 this year from 20,000 the last time, he said.

The number of toilets set up this time is 1.50 lakh as compared to 1.14 lakh in 2019. The public accommodation beds have increased from 20,000 in Kumbh Mela 2019 to 25,000 in Maha Kumbh Mela 2025.

Elaborating on the security and safety aspect he said, "There are more than 55 police stations, and around 45,000 police personnel are getting deployed there on duty. Projects have also been sanctioned to monitor the social media continuously, so that nobody does any mischief. If anything untoward is coming up on social media, it should be identified, isolated and tackled... There is excellent coordination between the institutes of the Centre and the state government." The State Disaster Management Authority is already working and the NDMA is also working. They have trained 'aapdaa mitr' (disaster volunteers), he said.

Commenting on the digital aspect of Maha Kumbh, the UP chief secretary said, "We have Integrated Control and Command Centres established there before the last Kumbh. This time, it has been strengthened, and more than 3,000 cameras have been deployed in the entire Kumbh area. ICCC will be managing the crowd by reading the density of the crowd at a particular place.

"Secondly, all the bookings of land and facilities are being done digitally by the mela administration. On the whole, this is going to be a grand arrangement," Singh said.

When asked to comment on the visits of foreign nationals and ambassadors to the event, the UP chief secretary said, "(In) the last Kumbh, people from 55-60 countries came, because immediately a day or two before Kumbh started, there was the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas in Varanasi, so many people came from there. Besides that, on one day, we organise visits of embassies. That visit is being organised on January 30," he said. PTI NAV TIR MNK MNK