NEW DELHI: As India focuses on its vision of becoming a ‘Vikshit Bharat,’ Indian Railways is gearing up to redefine the Mahakumbh-2025 experience with an innovative Gram Tent City initiative in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The Mahakumbh, scheduled from January 14 to February 2025, is set to blend spirituality with modernity, providing a unique experience for millions of pilgrims. The ‘Mahakumbh Gram Tent City’ plan, launched by IRCTC, aims to deliver a seamless and memorable experience for visitors. Speaking about the initiative, ED (I&P) Dileep Kumar stated, “As the most significant festival in Indian culture and spirituality, Mahakumbh attracts millions of devotees and tourists from around the globe. Preparations are underway on a mission mode to accommodate the immense influx of visitors expected next year. This innovative initiative, launched by IRCTC, ensures a comfortable and convenient experience for devotees, making it a standout feature of Mahakumbh 2025.” The tent city is strategically located near Bathing Ghats and key attractions, offering premium accommodations at a cost of Rs 6,000 plus taxes per person for one night, inclusive of breakfast. Highlighting the tent city’s features, Kumar said, “Designed with comfort, medical support, and exceptional hospitality in mind, these premium tents stand out as one of the most refined accommodation options for the Mahakumbh.”The facilities include spacious accommodations, a dedicated dining area with sit-down services, and high-quality catering. A special executive lounge on the city side complements the Arail-side tents, catering to pilgrims on both banks of the river. The bookings for this experience have commenced through IRCTC, generating excitement among devotees eager to enjoy world-class amenities alongside their spiritual journey. The main bathing day of Mahakumbh 2025 is on January 13, followed by Makar-Sankranti on January 14, Mauni-Amavasya on February 3, Maghi-Purnima on February 12, and Mahashivratri on February 26 through the festival of Mahakumbh for which railway is making grand arrangements. To further enhance the pilgrim experience, Indian Railways has developed a Mahakumbh Rail Seva website, an Android-based app and touch-screen kiosks to provide information. Kumar shared, “the railway, for the first time, is installing video-analytics-based FRS cameras and drone cameras for tracking and crowd surveillance.” Additionally, AI-powered crowd forecasting will be implemented in collaboration with the Mela authority. The railways plan to operate 3,124 special mela trains alongside 10,100 regular trains between January 10 and February 28. To manage the anticipated crowd, 278 ticket counters will be set up under the NCR, with Prayagraj railway station’s ticketing capacity expanded to accommodate 10,15,200 passengers per day across all modes, including UTS. “The Railways to enhance visitors experiences has developed a Mahakumbh Rail Seva website, the Mahakumbh Rail seva App on Android platform and will install touch-screen kiosks for providing information related to Kumbh to passengers”, Kumar added. He said that the railway first time installing video-analytics based FRS cameras and will use drone –cameras also for track and crowd surveillance. The railway is also working to use the AI-in crowd forecasting in association with Mela authority. “It has been planned to run 3124 special mela trains for Mahakumbh besides 10100 regular trains from January 10 to February 28”, Kumar said.
Source link
