Prayagraj, Feb 27 (UNI) Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said that initially the Railways had planned to operate 13,000 trains, but in the wake of the unexpected influx of devotees during Maha Kumbh, more than 16,000 trains were successfully operated.
The Union Minister reached Prayagraj in the morning, met the railway officials and reviewed the arrangements of the Railways during the Maha Kumbh. He said that the organisation of Maha Kumbh is a symbol of Indian culture and social harmony.
He said that the grand event was made possible under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath played a major role. He also thanked the CMs of Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, with whose cooperation the Railways established better coordination and facilitated smooth travel to the devotees.
Vaishnaw said that initially the Railways had planned to operate 13,000 trains, but in view of the unexpected number of devotees, more than 16,000 trains were successfully operated. "During this, about 4.5 to 5 crore devotees reached Maha Kumbh safely and got the holy benefit of Sangam bath. The railways established unprecedented coordination with the state police, RPF, GRP and Rapid Action Force, which made traffic and crowd management effective," he said.
He said that as per the directives of PM Modi, the faith and devotion of the devotees was given priority, not just the crowd. "With this view, the railways made many innovations, including the development of large hoarding areas in Khusrobagh, Jhunsi, Naini, Chheoki, Prayag Junction and Prayagraj Junction. This provided convenience to the passengers and crowd control was done effectively," he said.
He said that during this 45-day mega event of Maha Kumbh, various departments of the railways worked in a very coordinated manner, due to which the entire arrangements remained smooth and no chaos was allowed to happen.
The Railway Minister said that the learning from this Maha Kumbh will be permanently included in the railway manual, so that it can be used in other big events in the future. He said that on the basis of this historical experience, the railways will bring new improvements in its crowd management and passenger facilities, so that better services can be provided to the passengers across the country.
UNI XC AB GNK