LUCKNOW: Mahendra Sahu is a hassled man, frantically searching for his 70-year-old mother Saroj Devi missing after the stampede which claimed at least 30 lives on Wednesday.“I am having no idea where to search my mother. She has an identity card around her neck but her phone is not reachable. She knows how to call up from mobile but she has not contacted anyone,” said Mahendra fearing the worst. He and her mother came with 20 others from UP’s Unnao to take a holy dip at Sangam. Like him, lot of devotees are busy searching desperately for their dear ones while some fortunate ones managed to find their kin after hours’ wait. Most of those still missing are women. Lakshmi Kashyap from Jhansi has been missing since Mauni Amavasya.Her nephew Rakesh said, “My aunt, uncle, my father and mother travelled to the Kumbh Mela for a holy dip at the Sangam. After taking a dip on Mauni Amavasya evening with all of us, my aunt got separated from the family and we are yet to get her whereabouts.”Shyama Verma from Jaunpur had come with 15 of her relatives. “We parked our vehicle before entering the Mela area. After the dip, we gathered at Sahso Chauraha to return home but Shayma got separated due to jostling by the huge crowd. All our efforts to find her have gone in vain so far,” said her husband Ram Sharan Verma.While for many families the anxious wait continues, some have been fortunate to reunite with their loved ones. Among them is Renu Lata Nandi from Odisha’s Kendrapara who had been missing since Tuesday night after taking a dip in the Ganga.“My mother got separated from our group after the bath. We were extremely worried, especially after hearing about the stampede. But today, a fellow villager from our group of 26 people found her in Sector 20. We are all relieved,” her son Amar Kumar Nandi said.Some of those who lost touch with the group with whom they had travelled to Prayagraj were making efforts to return home alone. Among them were an elderly couple from Kushinagar — Ram Sanehi and Bitta Devi. “Now, we are just trying to find a way to reach the railway station and board a train to Gorakhpur. But we have no idea how to get there,” said Sanehi.According to Umesh Chandra Tiwari, who runs the lost-and-found camp of the Bharat Seva Dal in Sector 4 on the Mela premises, the new digital lost-and-found centre is proving effective in reconnecting people.“Most of the missing person reports are now being registered there, and they are coordinating with us to help track people,” he said. After stampede,Stricter safety measures come upNo-vehicle zone, complete ban on VVIP passEx-Divisional Commissioner Ashish Goyal and former Allahabad Development Authority Vice-Chairman Bhanu Goswami along with 5 special secys to coordinate 3rd Amrit Snan of Basant Panchami on February 3Goyal and Goswami had their stint in Prayagaraj and supposed to have a fair idea of Kumbh managementSP-level officers to be deployed for management and security; senior police and district administration officials from Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Mirzapur, Basti, Jaunpur, Chitrakoot, Banda, Ambedkarnagar, Pratapgarh, Sant Kabir Nagar, Bhadohi, Rae Bareli, and Gorakhpur to be roped inExtra buses from the state transport corporation to be deployed to maintain smooth flow of trafficHolding areas set up at border points to manage crowd; Devotees would be allowed to proceed to the mela based on the prevailing situation; Arrangements for food and drinking water at all holding areas with uninterrupted electricity supplyChief secy and DG to conduct review of arrangements
Source link
