Kumbh Mela 2019:  Poor signage, signboards leave visitors dissatisfied ahead of shahi snan

Even as a minor fire inside the camp of Digambar Akhara created a temporary scare among saints, visitors and pilgrims the day before the Shahi Snan, the first official snan at Kumbh on Tuesday is expected to draw an estimated five million pilgrims on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

The Mela this year is spread over an area of 3200 hectares and the state government is learnt to have spent over Rs 4000 Crore to make the arrangements.

But pilgrims seemed indifferent to the PR exercise. Said septuagenarian, Ram Asrey who is camping with his wife Sita Devi "Sahib hum to yahan Ishwar ki aaradhna Ma Ganga key tat pey karkey Moksha ki prapti karney aaye hain. Haan yeh zaroor hai ki kuch suvidhyein jaise road, shauchalya aur sign board ki vyavastha aur behtar ho sakti thi.”

A visitor from Kolkata, A K Kundu also echoed the sentiment and said, "More signage and boards need to be put up.” His friends from the city who had come to visit him at his camp in Sector 5 had a tough time in tracing him. This is given the fact that cops deputed on duty at majority of the spots have been brought from other districts and are not familiar with the geography of the area.

Organisers said that flow of visitors is expected to increase by Monday evening and the main snan would take place in an area of 8kms especially earmarked for the purpose.

Panic gripped the Mela area on Monday afternoon when the LPG cylinders inside the kitchen of Digambar Akhara camp on Sector 16 accidentally burst reducing the kitchen area and adjoining tents to ashes. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the situation was brought under control within an hour.