Cops survey Shahi Marg for putting up barricades

NASHIK: The city police have taken up the work of surveying roads leading to Ramkund and the ghat areas of the Godavari to put up barricades for the ensuing Simhastha Kumbh mela. Once the survey is completed, the police department will get the work of putting up barricades from the departments concerned. As of now, the survey of the Shahi Marg, the route taken by the sadhus from the Sadhugram in Tapovan to Ramkund for the holy dip, has been taken.
Post the survey, the police would decide on areas where wooden and iron barricades are necessary. The police would also take up the survey of the routes pilgrims would take to reach the Ghat areas after the work on Shahi Marg is completed. The 12-yearly Kumbh mela will take place in Nashik in August next year.
The police are also conducting workshops for officers for crowd management and strategies needed to be followed for decongesting human as well as vehicle population, besides regularizing the crowd build-up and getting acquainted with different mechanisms and tools used to ensure that the crowd density does not reach a critical level, eventually leading to a stampede.
Officials have also been trained in identifying vulnerable areas like bus stands, railway stations, sadhugrams, the Shahi Marg, and locating choke points where the crowd density is likely to become more and how a crowd could turn into a mob. These officers will then pass on their knowledge to other officers and constables, who would be arriving for the bandobast during the maha religious congregation. The other measures decided by the police include setting up closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) along the river banks and at the sadhugram, seeking more vehicles, weapons, wireless and the GPRS systems for smooth operation.
Among other preparations, the police have also proposed various spots where pilgrims coming by private vehicles can park their vehicles.
Vehicles coming from Dhule and Malegaon on the Mumbai-Agra national highway will stop near Janori phata (Dahava Maeel) on either side of the highway, while vehicles coming to the city from Dindori road will halt at the land opposite the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS). For traffic on Peth road, a parking lot will be designated near the arch of the Nashik Municipal Corporation and for vehicles coming from Trimbak, parking has been proposed at Jadhav Sankul on Ambad link road. For vehicles on Gangapur road, a parking lot has been identified at Dugaon phata.
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation would ply buses from the parking lots to the designated stands in the city from where pilgrims will have to reach the river banks by foot.
Parking arranged for pilgrims
Region parking
Mumbai: Near the Jain temple at Vilholi on either side of the Mumbai-Agra highway
Pune: Sinnar Chinchole Shivar and Moha village
Aurangabad highway: near Odha toll naka and Odha railway station
Dhule and Malegaon on Mumbai-Agra highway: near Janori phata (Dahava Maeel) on either side of highway
Dindori road: Opposite the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences
Peth road: near the arch of Nashik Municipal Corporation
Trimbak: Jadhav Sankul on Ambad link road
Gangapur road: Dugaon phata