East Central Railway tightens entry protocols at stations during Maha Kumbh amid heavy rush across Bihar

Patna: East Central Railway (ECR) on Monday announced that it has been strictly enforcing the prohibition on people entering railway stations without valid tickets, in light of the heavy rush of passengers across Bihar due to Maha Kumbh.

This decision comes two days after 18 people tragically died in a stampede at the overcrowded New Delhi railway station.

"Adequate arrangements have been made to ensure proper management of crowds at railway stations under the jurisdiction of ECR. The railways is committed to ensuring smooth travel for passengers during Maha Kumbh Mela. Arrangements have been put in place to prohibit the entry of individuals without valid tickets at all entry points of the stations in the state," Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Sharswati Chandra told PTI.

ECR authorities are also taking assistance from the local district administration and police to enforce the prohibition.

Patna district magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh told PTI, "Security personnel are being deputed at several stations in the state capital to assist railway officials and also to ensure proper management of the crowd, including those not having valid travel tickets from entering the stations. We also request passengers visiting Maha Kumbh to remain flexible in finalising their plans to Prayagraj," he said adding visiting Prayagraj during rush period should be avoided.

Adequate arrangements, including the establishment of additional ticket counters and other necessary facilities, have been made to manage the sudden rush of passengers, the CPRO added.

The railways also deployed additional staff at certain stations for the purpose. Several Kumbh Mela special trains are running from Patna Junction daily to handle the rush, the official said.

The unprecedented rush of passengers for Maha Kumbh Mela was seen at several stations across Bihar, including Patna, Danapur, Ara, Gaya, Sasaram, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, and Darbhanga.

Chief secretary Amrit Lal Meena and general manager, East Central Railway, Chhatrasal Singh held a virtual meeting to review the arrangements for proper management of the crowd at stations across the state in view of Maha Kumbh. The meeting was also attended by senior officials of police and DMs of different districts.

According to a statement by the ECR after the meeting, "It was decided that till the end of Maha Kumbh, district police will be engaged/deployed for crowd management at 35 major stations of Bihar. These include 26 stations of East Central Railway." "During this period, continuous communication will be ensured for better coordination with the railway and district administration. Holding area will be created at all major stations where facilities for passengers, including adequate lighting will be made available. Information about the arrival and departure of trains at stations will be continuously made available for the passengers through an announcement system," the statement added.

Meanwhile, due to huge traffic jams witnessed on the highways leading to Prayagraj, seven men from Kamhariya village in Bihar's Buxar district decided to visit Prayagraj via a moto-propelled boat. They travelled 275 km along the Ganga river from Buxar to Prayagraj. They started their journey on February 11 and reached Prayagraj on February 13. They have now returned to their village.