Maha Kumbh traffic jam: Lakhs of vehicles expected to enter Prayagraj, unprecedented rush keeps authorities on toes

: Vehicles stuck in a jam due to traffic restrictions during the ongoing Mahakumbh Mela 2025, in Prayagraj, Sunday (PTI)

Lakhs of devotees are flocking to Prayagraj for Maha Kumbh, resulting in massive traffic snarls in the city for the last few days. Reports have emerged of kilometre-long jams at various entry points of Prayagraj, with some devotees being stranded for up to 30 hours on the road.

Nearly 12 lakh vehicles arrived in Prayagraj over the weekend, with 4 crore more devotees headed for a holy dip at Sangam. The massive influx of devotees caused unprecedented traffic james on all highways leading to Prayagraj. Heavy traffic was also witnessed in the border areas of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

The authorities have declared the entire Kumbh area as 'no vehicle zone' ahead of Maghi Purnima Snan on February 12 to manage the heavy rush in the city. According to government data, an average of 1.44 crore people are taking a holy bath every day.

Here are 10 points about the situation:

* On Monday, vehicles were stranded on various highways of Madhya Pradesh with districts like Jabalpur, Seoni, Katni, Maihar, Satna and Rewa witnessing heavy jams spanning kilometres. MP chief minister Mohan Yadav urged devotees to avoid travelling towards Prayagraj for the next couple of days due to the heavy rush.

* The heavy rush is primarily due to lakhs of pilgrims heading to Kumbh for Mauni Amavasya on February 12. CM Yadav said in a post on X that food and accommodation arrangements were made for the devotees stranded in Rewa district. Rewa city is located 130 km from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh.

* Uttar Pradesh Police Chief Prashant Kumar said that the unprecedented scale of the gathering is testing the management capabilities of the authorities: “Mahakumbh 2025 is witnessing the largest congregation of humanity in history. With over 40 crore pilgrims having already taken a sacred dip at the Sangam and millions arriving each day, managing the unprecedented movement of people and vehicles is a challenge that no city, no administration, and no police force in the world has ever encountered before.”

* Despite the gridlock, police personnel—from constables to senior officers—are working tirelessly to control the flow. “Managing this ocean of humanity is a Herculean task, and every police officer on duty is displaying unmatched dedication to making Mahakumbh 2025 a safe and seamless experience,” the DGP said.

* Authorities are now ramping up efforts to restore normalcy. Railway stations have implemented emergency crowd management measures, and local taxi, auto, and e-rickshaw drivers are following a one-way traffic plan to ease bottlenecks. These coordinated measures aim to gradually return traffic movement to near-normal levels despite the continuing surge in pilgrims.

* Reports have pegged these traffic jams from anywhere between 10km to even 300km. However, there is no official confirmation on the same. Eyewitness accounts suggest that all roads leading to Prayagraj are packed with vehicles. The Sunday holiday further intensified the situation, causing traffic jams. People from the nearby districts had plans to take a dip on Sunday and return by evening but were forced to stay back due to persistent traffic jam.

* Vehicles were moving at a crawl for nearly 25km on highways connecting Prayagraj with Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur, and Rewa. Pilgrims, both arriving and departing, were stranded for hours.

* Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday criticised the Uttar Pradesh government over the severe traffic congestion in Prayagraj, claiming it has led to a shortage of essential commodities and inconvenienced devotees visiting the Maha Kumbh Mela. Hitting out at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Yadav said no responsible minister or person is seen controlling the situation in Prayagraj.