In view of huge rush of pilgrims to Haridwar for the forthcoming five bathing days of Ardh Kumbh Mela falling in April, district administration has met the transport officials on Wednesday to arrange 200 extra buses. The Mela Adhikari directed the transporters to arrange surplus buses to cope with the rush. With school vacation after the annual examination, the pilgrim turnout is expected to be huge, the mela officials said. There are five main snans of Ardh Kumbh mela in April, including the famous Baisakhi snan.
In the Mela control tower, the Mela Adhikari SA Murugeshan took meeting with the GMOU officials and private transport union members. He said, “The safety of the pilgrims is our top priority. There should be ample number of buses available in view of the crowd situation.”
Managing director of Parivahan Nigam Mukesh Singh said, “As has been our experience for the past years, there is huge rush of pilgrims during the vacation time and Ardh Kumbh mela would add up to the attraction. Nearly 200 buses shall be kept in reserve for the mela.” These buses would ply along Roorkee, Rishikesh, Dehradun and Bijnor routes, he said.
These buses would be parked at mela parking slot made at different locations surrounding Har Ki Pauri.
The Mela Adhikari directed SP traffic Shweta Chowbey to ensure that the traffic remains smooth during the Mela. To facilitate this, adequate number of constables would be deployed at the main crossings of the city. The Mela Adhikari instructed the traffic SP to draft a traffic plan and distribute amongst the industrial associations and Vyapar mandals. He said, “To facilitate the pilgrims for reaching the Har Ki Pauri without any hassle, proper directions and display boards must be marked en route.” Shweta Chowbey told The Pioneer that route plans would be disseminated through the print media.