Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and president of Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh Yadav has launched a scathing attack at the Uttar Pradesh government and administration over the alleged hundreds of kilometers long traffic jam on roads leading up to the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.
Akhilesh Yadav said that due to the traffic jam, the supply of basic facilities such as food grains and vegetables has halted, adding to the woes of the Maha Kumbh attendees and also the residents of Prayagraj.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Akhilesh Yadav said that crores of people are hungry, thirsty and tired as they are stuck in Prayagraj, calling the situation “extremely serious”. “In Prayagraj, due to the all-around traffic jam, neither food grains, vegetables, nor spices are available for eating and drinking, nor are medicines, petrol, and diesel. This has led to the condition of millions of hungry, thirsty, tired, and defeated devotees stuck in Prayagraj, the Mahakumbh area, and on the roads leading to and from Prayagraj deteriorating by the hour. This is an extremely serious situation,” he said.
Akhilesh Yadav also wondered to whom the reins of Maha Kumbh be handed over while calling the current government and administration incompetent in easing the situation for people. “Just as the command is handed over to someone else when the constitutional system fails in states, seeing the heap of mismanagement at the Mahakumbh, to which competent person should the reins of governance be handed over? Incompetent people can do false propaganda, not true administration,” he said.
In a follow-up post, Akhilesh Yadav further highlighted the misery of the Maha Kumbh devotees, claiming that there is no one to tend to people who have fallen unconscious due to lack of facilities. Painting a sorry picture of the Maha Kumbh devotees’ woes, he said that people’s phone batteries have died due to which they have lost contact with their loved ones, adding to their anxieties.
He also emphasised on the lack of facilities for the staff working on ground at the Maha Kumbh. “There is no arrangement for food and water for the constables, fourth class employees and sanitation workers who are faithfully standing hungry and thirsty day and night. The officers are giving orders sitting in their rooms but are not coming down to the ground,” he said.
Prayagraj traffic jam
The former chief minister’s remarks come amid traffic jams, allegedly stretching up to 200-300 km, clogging the city of Prayagraj. The traffic includes vehicles of devotees heading to attend the Maha Kumbh via Madhya Pradesh, who are now stuck in their cars. Some people on the internet have called the traffic jam “probably the biggest in the world” while sharing their ordeal on social media.
“It is impossible to move towards Prayagraj today as there is a traffic jam of 200-300 kilometres,” a PTI report quoted police as saying.
The Maha Kumbh, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, will go on till February 26 in Prayagraj. The event has witnessed footfall of a massive 40 crores till now, a number which is poised to go up in coming weeks.