An estimated 1.5-crore-plus pilgrims took over the streets of Allahabad on Monday, choking every thoroughfare and alleyway in a city of 62 lakh.

A nervous administration scurried to close not just the schools but also the railway station closest to the Sangam, wary of a crush after Saturday night’s stampede at a Delhi railway station killed at least 18 Kumbh-bound passengers.

Throughout the day, lakhs of families lugging heavy bags were seen trudging towards the Kumbh area or walking back to railway stations or bus stands located 10 to 30km away. Some cooked meals on makeshift brick stoves set up on the pavements.

Police sources said an unforeseen surge of pilgrims at the fag end of the Kumbh — a result of many people trying to take advantage of the expected slump in footfall — had raised the numbers at the Mela area to at least 5 crore.

The district administration closed all schools till February 26, the last day of the Kumbh. The railways shut down the Sangam station till February 28, fearing that its proximity to the Sangam area — just 4.5km away — could lead to an unmanageable
crush of passengers.

Dozens of policemen moved around the Mela area warning pilgrims over loudhailers against going either to the closed Sangam station or the Prayagraj Junction, which is already so overcrowded that the administration has blocked all routes to it.

“Those supposed to board their trains from Sangam station should go to Phaphamau station,” a railway official said.

The distance between the Sangam and Phaphamau stations is 26km. With all vehicles barred from the Mela area and major parts of the city, ordinary devotees are being forced to walk the entire way to Phaphamau.

The VVIPs, mostly political bigwigs, are being flown from the Mela helipad to the airport.

“The situation is scary in the city and at every station. At Prayag station near the University of Allahabad, officials have closed the main gate and erected two huge tents outside,” said Tej Pratap Dubey, a student who lives behind the station.

“The passengers have to wait for their trains inside the tents. They are allowed to enter the station only after the announcement of their train’s arrival. But the situation is explosive in the tents, with people standing or sitting pressed against one another. And most of the Mela special trains are running late.”

Several people said that all the roads between the Kumbh area and the city railway stations, including Rambagh, Chiwaki, Subedarganj, Naini and Jhusi, were completely choked.

The administration had put up thick netting along a 10-foot stretch of the Naini Bridge that lacks parapets so that it would catch anyone who fell off because of the overcrowding.

“But today, you can see people climbing down from the bridge to the netting and walking across it in their hurry to get to the other side. It’s a dangerous situation,” a policeman on duty was quoted as telling reporters.

Till now, 5-10km long traffic jams used to form outside Allahabad City starting two to three days before a Shahi Snan. But on Monday — not a day for a special bath — vehicles were stranded over 20-25km stretches in the neighbouring districts of Bhadohi, Kaushambi and Pratapgarh.

The local administrations have set up parking spaces along the roads and requested the pilgrims to leave their vehicles and walk to the Kumbh.

“There is unprecedented pressure on traffic but we are on the spot to regulate it,” Kaushambi district magistrate Madhusudan Hulgitold reporters.

Yogi boast

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday boasted about the Kumbh footfall, oblivious to the widespread criticism that his government — which egged pilgrims on to participate in the event without making proper arrangements — was to blame for the chaos and tragedy.

Samajwadi Party president and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav accused the Adityanath government of having “reduced the Mahakumbh into a gimmick for political gain”.