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Ahead of the much-awaited Mahakumbh 2025 in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, there is a big change related to boat fares. The Kumbh Mela Administration has agreed to a 50% hike in the boat fare, as was long pending by the boatmen. This is expected to affect the thousands of pilgrims and tourists who are going to visit the grand event. Here is a detailed report on the hike in fares and how it would impact both the boatmen and devotees.
Reason Behind The Fare Hike
According to Vivek Chaturvedi, Additional District Magistrate for Mahakumbh, the boat fares have been hiked. “The fare hike was taken after several discussions between the Prayagraj District Boatmen Association and the Mela administration. This hike in fare is being done to balance the needs of the boatmen and the expected surge in demand during the religious gathering.”
And partly the hike has been a consequence of increased inflationary pressures and enhanced maintenance costs that boatmen have endured in the previous years.
Pappu Lal Nishad, the President of the Prayagraj District Boatmen Association, thanked the administration for this decision. He said that the boat fares had not changed for decades, even as inflation and operational costs increased. Nishad appreciated the administration for taking a big step toward the welfare of boatmen, which he said would ensure a better experience for both the pilgrims and the boatmen.
Transparency And Fair Pricing
Though the fare hike is going to affect boat rides during Mahakumbh, the administration has taken measures to ensure that devotees are not exploited. A revised and transparent fare structure will be put up at all ghats and parking areas, and what pilgrims can expect to pay for boat services will be clearly displayed. This move is to ensure fairness and prevent exploitation of devotees during the event.
To further strengthen the safety for the pilgrims, the administration has restricted vehicular movement along the ghats. The motorboats are still off-limits, but boat services would continue to ply even on the peak festival days for bathing. The measures have been taken towards the greater safety measures while ensuring that the operations be smooth during the massive religious congregation.
Abhinav Pathak, Sub Divisional Magistrate of Mahakumbh said that the number of boats in operation will increase many folds during the event. Presently, around 1,455 boats are operating at the Sangam, but this number will exceed 4,000 during the Mahakumbh. Many boats will come from neighboring districts to accommodate the influx of pilgrims. Pathak declared that all the boats would be inspected in terms of safety before giving licenses. All the boatmen will be provided with life jackets. All the boatmen are also insured. The sum assured for this insurance is ₹2 lakh.
Grand Mahakumbh Mela 2025
The Mahakumbh Mela is considered one of the largest and most important religious events globally, conducted every 12 years. The last Mahakumbh Mela was held in 2013, and the subsequent Ardh Kumbh Mela was held in 2019. The next Mahakumbh Mela will be from January 13 to February 26, 2025, in the Siddhi Yoga period, starting from January 29, 2025.
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