Security personnel keep vigil as part of safety precautions following a stampede on 'Mauni Amavasya', ahead of Basant Panchami during the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela, in Prayagraj, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.
PTI
Mumbai: As the Maharashtra government prepares for the next Kumbh Mela in Nashik, the stampede incident of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh will ensure factoring in several issues so that incidents like this could be avoided.
The next Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela is slated to be held in 2027.
It may be recalled that on 27 August 2003, a stampede at Nashik - during the Kumbh Mela had killed 39 pilgrims and injured over 100 others - in what came as a major setback to the then Sushilkumar Shinde-headed Congress-NCP Democratic Front government.
However, based on what had happened in 2003, the then Devendra Fadnavis-government headed BJP-Shiv Sena government, factored in several issues and ensured that the 2015 Kumbh Mela passed off smoothly.
Ahead of the 2027 event, Fadnavis, who now heads the MahaYuti government, held a review meeting last fortnight to oversee the preparations in Nashik.
Focus is being given on several areas particularly traffic and crowd management, development of Sadhu-gram.
A detailed security plan would also be in place.
Fadnavis had also asked senior IAS and IPS officers to visit the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela and see for themselves the precautions.
Fadnavis’ close aide and state Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan has been made the guardian minister.
Lakhs of pilgrims who come for the Kumbh Mela in Nashik also visit nearby places like Shirdi and Shani-Shingnapur in Ahilyanagar (earlier Ahmednagar), Bhimashankar in Pune, Grishneshwar in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (earlier Aurangabad) and other locations – and beautification in other places are also being taken up.