MP stops hundreds of vehicles heading to Kumbh to prevent overcrowding

Hundreds of vehicles heading for the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj have been stopped in Madhya Pradesh due to the heavy traffic and to avoid overcrowding, officials said on Saturday.

IMAGE: Devotees throng at Triveni Sangam to take third ‘Amrit Snan’ on the occasion of Basant Panchami during the ongoing Maha Kumbh, in Prayagraj, February 3, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo

In some places, local traffic police even requested the travelers to return.

Since Friday night, north-bound vehicles, most of them carrying devotees, are being allowed to proceed only after getting permission from Uttar Pradesh authorities, police officials said.

A large number of vehicles, most of them from Maharashtra and southern states, were stranded in Katni, Maihar and Rewa districts since morning.

Vehicles were being stopped at Chakghat, said Rewa range deputy inspector general Saket Prakash Pandey.

There was a surge in the number of vehicles heading for Prayagraj in the last two days, he said, adding that the police were trying to streamline the traffic and allowing them to pass one by one after getting a green-light from the Prayagraj administration.

People were also driving on the wrong side for avoiding traffic snarls on the way to Prayagraj, the DIG said.

Vishal Sharma, a resident of Nagpur in Maharashtra, told PTI that he started on Saturday morning, but faced a massive traffic jam in Maihar for more than two-and-a-half hours, and another in Katni.

Devidas Patole, also from Nagpur, said food arrangements for those caught in traffic jams were good, and people should cooperate with the government.

In Katni, vehicles were stopped on National Highway 30. District traffic police in-charge Rahul Pandey said they will be allowed to pass only after the traffic thins.

There were traffic snarls at different places on the 250-km long stretch from Katni to Prayagraj, and stranded travelers were being requested to return, he said.

Maihar tehsildar Premlal Choudhary told PTI that vehicles were being released in the batches of 100-200.

Maihar city superintendent of police Rajeev Pathak said that on the directives of senior officers, Prayagraj-bound vehicles have been stopped since Saturday morning.

Amarpatan (Maihar district) police station in-charge K P Tripathi said vehicles were stopped at Kharamseda, on National Highway 30, where there was a three-km long traffic jam.

Satna's additional superintendent of police Dr Shivesh said a huge number of vehicles were heading down the Maihar-Chitrakoot road, and local police stations were directed to stop them whenever necessary to ensure smooth movement.