Prayagraj Maha Kumbh will be biggest congregation UP minister

Ahmedabad, Dec 9 (PTI) The upcoming Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj will be the biggest-ever congregation being organised on 4,000 hectares with an estimated footfall of 25 to 30 crore people.
    This information was shared during a Maha Kumbh roadshow organised in Ahmedabad on Monday by the Uttar Pradesh government.
    UP ministers AK Sharma and Kapil Dev Agarwal invited people through the road show for the mega religious gathering scheduled between January 13 and February 26.
    "Ambassadors of 45 countries in India have already confirmed that they will visit the Maha Kumbh," Sharma told reporters, a day after meeting and inviting Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Governor Acharya Devvrat for Maha Kumbh.
    Amid the roadshow, Sharma said the Maha Kumbh would be the biggest ever in scale.
    "We expect a footfall of 25 to 30 crore people, nearly double the last Maha Kumbh Mela held in 2012. The Mela will be organised on 4,000 hectares, including 1,800 hectares for parking. We are here to invite the people of Gujarat," the UP Urban Development Minister said.
    He said invitations were extended to foreign missions of different countries by the UP government and ambassadors of 45 countries in India have confirmed their attendance for the Kumbh Mela- the largest pilgrimage festival in Hinduism organised once in 12 years.
    Sharma said the UP government has made various arrangements to ensure that devotees do not face any difficulties in Prayagraj.
    "Kumbh visitors will not face any trouble. Arrangements have been made for healthcare, sanitation, boarding, and parking. We have installed 1.60 lakh tents and 1.50 lakh temporary toilets," he said.
    Nine permanent ghats (steps leading to the river) and some temporary ones are also prepared to facilitate the holy dip of devotees.
    "A 100-bed hospital has been set up at the Parade Ground and two more hospitals with 20 beds each and smaller hospitals with 8 beds have also been prepared for devotees," Sharma said.
    He said two 10-bed ICUs have also been set up by the Army Hospital at the venue with the deployment of 291 MBBS doctors, 90 Ayurvedic and Unani specialists, and 182 nursing staff.
    Additionally, separate wards for males, females, and children have been set up in these hospitals, he said.
    Prayagraj is considered one of the holy cities in Hinduism for the triveni sangam or the confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati river.
    While the Kumbh Mela is marked by a ritual dip in the waters, it is also a celebration of community commerce with numerous fairs, education, religious discourses by saints, mass feedings of monks or the poor, and entertainment spectacle.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)