Days after the stampede at the New Delhi Railway station claimed 18 lives and left several others injured, as thousands of devotees heading to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh 2025 festival thronged the already-congested railway station leading to severe overcrowding in the area, the railways is now taking special measures to manage the expected surge of passengers ahead of the Mahashivratri snan.
To this effect, only passengers with reserved tickets would be allowed to directly go inside the New Delhi railway station, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday, further stating that those without tickets would be required to first go to the holding area at the railway station.
Vaishnaw told ANI that special trains had been arranged for the passengers, considering the number of people travelling.
“Several steps have been taken for crowd control at the New Delhi Railway Station. If passengers have reserved tickets, they can go directly inside the station. Those who do not have tickets will first go to the holding area and get the tickets… passengers can only go inside when the train is about to arrive… special trains have also been arranged for the passengers….” the minister stressed.
Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, Northern Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), told the agency that an innovative method was being used to monitor ticket sales live.
“In Delhi railway station, ticket sales were monitored through a new innovative method. Hourly monitoring was done, and hourly trains to Prayagraj were arranged. We started five trains on demand. It helped in managing the crowd coming for the Mahakumbh…,” Upadhyay reportedly said, adding, “Our Railway Minister was present in the Railway Board’s room. GM Northern Railway and DRM Delhi were deployed at the station, and they were also live monitoring the situation.”
Senior DCM of the Prayagraj division, Himanshu Shukla, has also assured smooth arrangements for the pilgrimage.
“The Mahashivratri Snan is our last test for which we are fully prepared… A huge crowd from here (Prayagraj) goes to other pilgrimage places like Ayodhya and Varanasi for darshan, and we have made a smooth arrangement for them… We have installed 1,450 CCTV cameras from Triveni Sangam to Prayagraj Junction… On 22nd February, about one crore and 60 lakh people took a holy dip,” he told ANI.
Devotees continue to arrive in large numbers at Prayagraj’s Mahakumbh to take a holy dip. The last major bath will be on Maha Shivratri, scheduled for February 26.
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