Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is turning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a ‘Digital Maha Kumbh’ into reality with comprehensive civic amenities in record time. For the first time, the Maha Kumbh fair is being organised digitally. Through the ‘Mahakumbh Land and Facility Allocation’ portal, land and facilities can be accessed with a single click, officials said here.
The Prayagraj Mela Authority is ensuring complete transparency and departmental accountability in land allocation and basic services for the fair. Applicants can submit online applications and track the status of their allocated land and provided facilities at any time, they added.
In Kumbh 2019, the details and allocations of over 5,500 institutions were digitised. This time, land is being allocated to over 10,000 institutions, including government, emergency, social, and religious organisations. This transparent system ensures that saints and institutions can complete their work easily and promptly without standing in long queues, officials said.
Maha Kumbh is a grand event of Sanatan Dharma. In this ‘Amrit Mahotsav Mahakumbh’ of the Amrit Kaal era, more than 40 crore devotees are expected to visit Prayagraj to take a holy dip in faith.
Additionally, lakhs of people will observe Kalpavas during the Maha Kumbh, they added.
According to Additional Mela Officer Vivek Chaturvedi, a GIS-based map has been utilised to design the layout of the Kumbh Mela, spanning 4,000 hectares across 25 sectors.
Pre- and post-monsoon drone surveys were conducted to create precise topographic maps of the land. These surveys resulted in the preparation of high-resolution maps, GIS-based layers, and geo-referenced CAD files with an accuracy of 0.5 cm.
Key public utilities and emergency service locations, including police stations, checkpoints, command and control centres, hospitals, parking areas, food courts, vending zones, toilets, pontoon bridges, and roads, have been made accessible to devotees via Google Maps for ease and convenience.
To ensure transparency and equal opportunities, the Prayagraj Mela Authority has accepted applications even from institutions that participated in Kumbh 2019.
For this, the authority conducted extensive publicity through local and national newspapers and invited applications on its portal from October 29 to November 12.
The 2019 Kumbh data was analysed to allocate land and facilities following established rules. After application analysis, allocation, and approval by the authority, digitised facility slips were created.
Vendors can view these facility slips online and update the details, including photos, in coordination with the institutions. The greatest aspect of this digital and online system is its transparency, allowing applicants to access updates about their land allocation and facilities at any time and raise objections if necessary, the officer said.
To assist with facilitating devotees and expediting their requests, a large number of ‘Kumbh Fellows’ have been deployed to support the Mela administration.
Preparations for the grand Maha Kumbh began nearly two and a half years ago, with administrative officials consistently working on its execution. Now, the groundwork is fully ready. Compared to Maha Kumbh 2013, the area for Maha Kumbh 2025 has been doubled.
The number of sectors has increased from 18 to 25, and the ghats have risen from 7 to 10, reflecting the significant expansion of the event.
Some of the key points and benefits of digitalisation are complete digitisation of application data with live tracking of application status and allocation. Automated data flow between vendors and government departments related to facility slips for timely establishment and third-party inspection and verification committee model for validation with photographic evidence of facility setup.
Customised MIS reports and comprehensive institutional analysis by the Prayagraj Mela Authority. This software will enable the authority to complete land and facility allocation on time with minimal queues and physical appointments by institutional representatives.
