Following the deadly stampede at New Delhi Railway Station, the Railways Ministry vowed to overhaul its crowd monitoring capabilities to control the Mahakumbh rush.
On Saturday night, delay of three trains, including a Prayagraj Special for Mahakumbh devotees, led passengers to rush after the train's designated platform was changed.
Centralised war room
In order to avoid further tragedies related to the Mahakumbh rush, the ministry said it will now identify 60 high-traffic railway stations. Among these, 35 key stations will be tracked real time from a centralised war room.
Most of the crowd heading to Mahakumbha originates from a 300km radius in Uttar Pradesh and adjoining states and travel from these 35 stations to Prayagraj. NDLS and other key stations in Delhi are among these 35.
Crowd holding areas
Passengers at railway stations will be guided by sign boards that show the direction to designated holding areas in the platforms. These holding areas will be colour coded.
Officials will be given training to manage if a stampede-like crisis occurs.
AI and CCTV monitoring
The Railways will also use AI to track the movement of crowd, including train delays that partly led to the recent stampede. The cameras will also track people sitting on foot over bridges etc.
Feedback
Another initiative by the ministry is to gather feedback from passengers, porters and shop owners at the railway stations. The Railways said it will help them identify issues that are often overlooked.
In the aftermath of the stampede, the New Delhi Railway Station has stopped counter sale of platform tickets till February 26, the last day of Mahakumbh.
