A MAHA KUMBH CHALLENGE

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, which came in for praise for the 2019 Kumbh arrangements in Prayagraj, is looking for a repeat with the once-in-12-years Maha Kumbh starting on January 13, 2025.

- Ashish Misra

Some 430 projects worth Rs 8,000 crore had been sanctioned in Prayagraj for the "world's largest religious spectacle" with its akhada processions and sadhus and, if last time's numbers hold, some 250 million devotees in attendance and taking the holy dip at the Sangam. The target was to complete all the works by December-end, but with just eight weeks left for the Kumbh, some 150-odd projects are running behind schedule. Projects in the 'red zone' include 38 of the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA), 66 of the irrigation department and 18 of the PWD, among others.