Tourism minister KJ Alphons said the government is undertaking measures like launching the ‘Chalo Kumbh Chalo’ campaign across the country, releasing advertisements at major international airports of the country and organising the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2019 in Varanasi to attract Pravasi Bharatiya delegates to visit Kumbh in 2019 to globally promote the ‘49 day Kumbh Mela’ which is to begin in January 2019, in order to attract foreign tourists.
The government is also looking at development of a designated area for flag hoisting for 192 countries visiting Kumbh Mela, besides identification and development of holding areas for crowd control during the mela period
and deployment of digital signages in the mela area to guide visitors towards places of interest and dissemination of crucial information by government and law enforcement agencies, Alphons said.
As reported by the government of Uttar Pradesh, the following arrangements have been made for the pilgrims who are expected to visit the Kumbh Mela: Construction and widening of public roads, construction of parking spots at short distances from mela area, provision of shuttle buses for the convenience of pilgrims, digital signages at systematic points to ensure smooth flow of traffic, construction of toilets to maintain cleanliness and hygiene, setting up of LED lights in the mela area, deployment of telecommunication services, banking services and ATMs in the mela area and setting up of integrated command and control centres including CCTV cameras for the security of tourists.
