• Source:JND
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Prayagraj authorities have temporarily closed Sangam railway station till February 14 to manage an overwhelming surge in crowds attending the ongoing Mahakumbh Mela. With a massive influx of pilgrims, officials took the decision as a precautionary measure to prevent overcrowding. 

The move comes as the number of devotees heading towards the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers reached critical levels. Authorities stated that the total number of pilgrims who have bathed in the sacred waters so far has exceeded 42 crore.

The closure of the station coincided with severe traffic congestion, as a sea of vehicles stretching up to 300 kilometres turned roads leading to the Mahakumbh Mela into massive parking lots. Lakhs of devotees were stranded in their vehicles on Sunday, unable to reach the world’s largest religious gathering.

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On Saturday, hundreds of vehicles bound for Prayagraj were stopped in various parts of Madhya Pradesh to mitigate congestion. Several videos circulating on social media depicted long queues of cars and trucks in Katni, Maihar, and Rewa districts. Witnesses reported severe traffic jams spanning nearly 250 kilometres from Katni to the Uttar Pradesh-Madhya Pradesh border at Chakghat in Rewa district.

As the situation deteriorated, police took the step of stopping traffic in various districts of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday. Announcements were made in the Katni district, urging travellers to seek shelter and postpone their journey until Monday. In Maihar, police directed vehicles to return towards Katni and Jabalpur, advising them to wait before proceeding further.

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Amid the management crisis, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav criticised the Uttar Pradesh government’s handling of the situation. In a social media post, Akhilesh Yadav highlighted the extent of the congestion, stating that major routes leading into Prayagraj—including Nawabganj, Gauhania, and the Varanasi-Prayagraj highway—were severely jammed. He claimed that normal life had become difficult due to the mismanagement of traffic and public movement.

Akhilesh Yadav further accused the UP government of failing to provide adequate crowd management, alleging that it was only focused on advertising rather than addressing ground realities.