Delhi stampede: Strict security arrangements in place at key UP railway stations

At Prayagraj Junction, entry is restricted to the city side, and passengers are kept in a 'holding area' until their train arrives

Lucknow: Stringent protocols are being enforced at key railway stations in Uttar Pradesh such as Prayagraj, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Kanpur, Lucknow and Mirzapur following the stampede at the New Delhi railway station and the massive crowds arriving for the Maha Kumbh.

Elaborating further on this Additional Director General (ADG) Railways Prakash D said, “We have identified holding areas for passengers, as trains have a limited capacity. Platforms too have a limited capacity. The extra passengers coming to the station are kept in the holding areas.”

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“In Prayagraj, we have identified 90 holding areas, because we have got eight railway stations. We have 500 trains plying daily in Prayagraj, and we request passengers to comply with the directions given by police and the administration.”

He added that drones are being used to assess the flow of pilgrims in Prayagraj. “We have identified railway stations inside Prayagraj, for example, Phaphamau, for movement of pilgrims to Lucknow and Ayodhya; Jhunsi for Gorakhpur, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Nagar and Bihar,” Prakash D said.

The situation in Prayagraj is normal and totally under control, he said, adding, “We have 24×7 robust control room from where we get the feed from the ICCC.” North Central Railway’s Shashikant Tripathi said, “We are strictly adhering to the previously established protocols, which were successfully implemented during festivals like Mauni Amavasya and Basant Panchami.”

At Prayagraj Junction, entry is restricted to the city side, and passengers are kept in a ‘holding area’ until their train arrives. RPF Inspector Shiv Kumar said that crowd control measures are “effective”.

In Varanasi, Ashok Kumar from the North Eastern Railway said the same protocols are in place at Jhunsi and Rambagh stations, where passengers are held in secure areas until their train arrives. The security at Varanasi Junction has also been tightened after the Delhi incident.

Following the Delhi stampede, heightened security measures have also been implemented at Ayodhya’s railway stations. Separate entry and exit points have been established for pilgrims, and personnel from the GRP and RPF are ensuring safety.

Over 300 staff members and 200 CCTV cameras have been deployed to handle the daily influx of around 1.5 lakh passengers. Ayodhya RPF Inspector Yashwant Singh said that the railway forces are vigilant and are using CCTV for surveillance. Special trains are running daily to manage the crowd, he added.