कुंभ मेले को लेकर रेल मंत्रालय ने लिए बड़े फैसले, बड़ी संख्या में विशेष ट्रेनें चलाने की निर्देश

Railway Ministry took big decisions regarding Kumbh Mela, instructions to run a large number of special trains

The Railway Ministry is working towards running a large number of special trains for the Kumbh Mela. A senior railway official said that 992 special trains will be operated during the Kumbh Mela. The Kumbh Mela is to be held in Prayagraj in January next year. According to officials, apart from running special trains, the ministry has set aside Rs 933 crore for the construction of various infrastructure and facilities for the passengers.

For the Kumbh Mela, the work of doubling the railway track at a cost of Rs 3,700 crore in Prayagraj division and surrounding areas is being done at a fast pace to ensure smooth movement of trains. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav and his deputies Ravneet Singh Bittu and V Somanna held meetings on Saturday to review the arrangements to deal with the huge crowd of devotees during the Kumbh Mela starting from January 12. The official said that the Railway Minister also holds regular video conferences with senior railway officials, including general managers of the respective zones like Northern Railway, North Central Railway and North Eastern Railway, to take stock of the preparations.

According to the official, divisional managers of the respective railway divisions like Prayagraj, Varanasi, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Nagar and Lucknow also attend these meetings to give regular updates on various development works. With 30 to 50 crore devotees expected to attend the Kumbh Mela, the Railway Ministry has planned to run 992 special trains in addition to 6,580 regular trains from various cities to Prayagraj. A senior railway official said, 'More than 24 crore people attended the Kumbh Mela in 2019 and we ran 694 special trains in addition to our 5,000 regular services. Based on that experience, we have decided to increase the number of special trains by 42 percent to 992.' He said, if there is a need to increase the number, then we are ready with a backup plan for that too.

Another official said that around Rs 440 crore is expected to be spent on various road overbridge works. The remaining Rs 495 crore is being spent on various activities such as repair of roads leading to stations, installation of CCTV cameras in and around platforms, waiting rooms at stations besides additional accommodation units for passengers and adequate medical facilities, the official said. Doubling of rail lines between Varanasi and Jhunsi has been completed, while Prayagraj-Rambagh-Jhunsi and Janghai-Phaphamau lines are expected to be ready before the start of Kumbh Mela.