New Delhi [India], January 13 : Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar talked about the preparations made for the Mahakumbh, saying that attention has been paid to the infrastructure of the railway stations.
"A lot of attention has been paid to the infrastructure of the railway stations. We have built new stations. We will run around 13,000 trains including the special and regular trains. This time 10,000 regular and 3,000 special trains will run.." Kumar told ANI.
He further said that around 1,146 CCTV have been installed at all the stations.
"We have installed around 1,1476 CCTV at the stations. We are very satisfied with the improvements in the infrastructure. We will be making announcements in around 12 languages at the stations. There have been arrangements made for the elderly people as well.." he further said.
Executive Director of the Information and Publicity, Railway Board, Dilip Kumar said that 40 crore people were expected to come and take bath in the Triveni Sangam.
"40 crore people are planned to come and take bath in Sangam. In view of that, extensive preparation has been done by the Indian Railways. Nine of our stations in the Prayagraj area have been redeveloped. New roads over bridges have been constructed... We have paid entire focus on providing maximum facilities to the passengers.." said Kumar.
North Central Railway CPRO Shashi Kant Tripathi said, "We had started our preparations for the Mahakumbh two years ago. We are ready to welcome the people. As far as the Mela special trains are concerned, pur long distance trains had started from January 1. More than 80 mela special trains will be running. Passengers can also buy their tickets from the counters in the Mela area to plan their journey.."
Earlier, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Railways had invested Rs 5,000 crore over the last three years to enhance the infrastructure for the festival, including new platforms, doubled railway lines, and improved facilities to accommodate the influx of pilgrims.
"In the last three years, we have been preparing for the Maha Kumbh, and railways have invested about Rs 5,000 crores in creating new infrastructure and improving the existing infrastructure. This includes doubling of the lines, creating new platforms, and high-quality holding areas. A new bridge has also been constructed on the Ganga Ji," Vaishnaw told reporters.