Rs 400 Crore Infrastructure To Ensure 24/7 Electricity At Maha Kumbh

With the Maha Kumbh festival less than two weeks away, electricity infrastructure worth Rs 400 crore has been put in place to ensure 24-hour power supply for over 40 crore devotees.

To this end, the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) has constructed 182 km of high tension lines and 1,405 km of low tension lines.

The Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government will also illuminate the fair grounds with over 40,000 rechargeable bulbs. Anoop Kumar Sinha, Executive Engineer in charge of the Electricity Department, told ANI that the state government plans to install these rechargeable bulbs at key points. "In addition to standard LED bulbs, rechargeable bulbs will be installed at key points, including the 4.5 lakh electrical connections for camps," he said.

Sinha informed that the funding for these rechargeable bulbs with an approximate cost of Rs 2.7 crores, will be sourced from the ongoing projects of the Electricity Department for Mahakumbh.

The Kumbh will be held in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj for 45 days, from January 13 to February 26. In preparation for the festival, state authorities renovated 92 roads, constructed 30 bridges and installed 800 multi-lingual signages. For the first time, underwater drones capable of diving up to 100 meters will provide round-the-clock surveillance at the river confluence or Triveni Sangam area, while drones will also monitor the aerial situation.

2,700 CCTV cameras with Artificial Intelligence capabilities will deployed for real-time monitoring, apart from facial recognition technology at entry points of Mahakumbh Nagar.

The Maha Kumbh Mela, often regarded as the largest spiritual gathering in the world, sees pilgrims take a cleansing bath that is believed to purify the soul. Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik are now considered sacred, and the Kumbh Mela is held at each location in a rotating cycle every few years.