The Nashik city police have done micro-planning for managing crowd and vehicular traffic during the Kumbh mela to begin from July 17.
“We have taken proper precautions and done micro-planning for the mela. We have made arrangements of seven outer-parkings, where devotees coming from different places like Mumbai, Dhule, Pune, Trimbakeshwar, Aurangabad, Gujarat and others will park their vehicles,” Nashik Deputy Commissioner of Police (Sinhastha and Traffic) Pankaj Dahane said.
Lakhs of devotees are expected to attend the Kumbh mela this year and take a holy dip at various ‘ghats’, constructed on Godavari river bank in Panchavati locality.
Dahane said the devotees will park their vehicles in the outer parking. They will have to walk a certain distance and reach ghats by Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses which would be kept ready at the inner parking.
The sadhus from various ‘akhadas’ would take out a ‘royal procession’ on specific days starting from Tapovan’s Laxminarayan temple to the holy ‘Ramkunda’ pond through different routes?and will then take a holy dip there.
According to Dahane, police have also arranged for shelters?on way to the river ghats for the aged, sick and needy people where facilities of toilets, drinking water, health centres and ambulances will be provided.
There will be adequate police force deployment during ‘Parvanis’ (specific days for royal bath – slated on August 29, September 13 and 18), he said.
“We have made arrangements of emergency routes for ambulances, fire brigade, top government and police officials VVIPs?in case of any problem during Parvani days,” he said.
“We have installed 348 CCTVs, set up 41 temporary police chowkies, regular police chowkies, installed system with 1,700 loud speakers to supervise the situation and created mobile applications for the convenience of the devotees,” he said.
Special arrangements are also being made to facilitate complaints of missing persons and to trace and identify them, Dahane said.
A flag hoisting ceremony will take place at ‘Ramkunda’ on July 17.
