The Uttar Pradesh government is making all efforts to familiarise the world with Indian culture, courtesy the Kumbh 2019 which will see a massive congregation of people from India and abroad. The Kumbh Mela 2019 will continue from 15 January to 4 March.

At a meet with mediapersons in New Delhi on Monday, Uttar Pradesh Minister for Sugarcane Development, Sugar Mills & Industrial Development (MOS) Suresh Rana said the state government had organised smooth traffic movement to Prayagraj by constructing 9 flyovers and a 4-lane wide road along with 1,325 metre long flyover on a single pillar in front of the High Court in Prayagraj city area. Six railway underpasses have been widened to 4-lane within a year, which has smoothened city traffic movement for the citizens of Prayagraj.

Additional Chief Secretary, Information, Tourism & Religious Affairs, UP, Awanish Kumar Awasthi said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath himself visited the Ghats of Ganga and supervised arrangements for the successful organisation of Prayagraj Kumbh 2019.

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He said the state government was making efforts to bring people from every state to visit the Kumbh.

Over 5,000 NRIs and ambassadors of about 71 countries have witnessed the preparations for this grand event. Representatives of around 192 countries will visit the Kumbh that is organised at Prayagraj after every six years.

UNESCO has included Kumbh in its list of “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” and the BJP has credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this feat. The PM launched the Kumbh by worshipping Ganga on 16 December last month.

Devotees coming to the Kumbh will have an opportunity for the first time in the last 450 years to pray at ‘Akshay Vat’ and ‘Sarasvati Koop’. For the convenience of devotees and tourists visiting the Kumbh, the facility of reaching there by air, road and river has been made for the first time.

A total amount of Rs 4,200 crore has been allotted for development of the Kumbh Mela area and Prayagraj. Under the projects, roads, bridges, drinking water schemes, electricity improvement and tourism development have been done.

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Over 40,000 LED lights have been installed in the Mela area. A heliport is also being set up and arrangements are being made to provide helicopter joy rides to tourists.

For the first time, the Kumbh Mela area has been brought under the surveillance of integrated control and command centre and CCTV cameras. The Kumbh 2019 has been linked to the concepts of ‘Cultural Kumbh’, ‘Safe Kumbh’, ‘Digital Kumbh’.

The state government is laying special emphasis on cleanliness. Due to fewer toilets in the previous Kumbh, the people were forced to defecate in the open. This time, 1,22,000 toilets have been constructed and sanitary staff have been doubled in comparison to the previous Kumbh.

Campaigns are in full swing everywhere to ensure that the banks of Ganga and Triveni remain clean and the water of Ganga remains pollution free. Under Swachh Bharat Mission and Namami Gange project, 32 nullahs (drains) opening in the Ganga have been sealed. To control pollution in the Ganga, 4 schemes are being implemented in Prayagraj under the Namami Gange programme. Arrangements have been made to treat river water through bio-remediation so that no effluent pollutes the rivers in Prayagraj.

Walls of 20 lakh square metres are being decorated here to give a glimpse of Indian culture, through pictures, to the visitors.