Though the grand Mahakumbh festival in Prayagraj drew to a close with the sacred bath of Maha Shivaratri on February 26, the Kumbh Mela district, Uttar Pradesh's 76th district, remains a reality. Yes, this is the exclusive district by the riverbanks of Prayagraj, where over 660 million devotees came to wash away their sins, declared by the government well before the commencement of the grand event. While Kumbh has concluded, the Kumbh district will continue to exist until the end of March.
The government of UP began preparing for the Mahakumbh two years earlier. Meanwhile, the Kumbh Mela district came into existence on December 1, 2024, in advance of the event's January 13 start date. For the designated four months, district DM Prayagraj issued orders, officially declaring the Kumbh district, which includes 67 villages across Sadar, Soraon, Phulpur, and Karchhana tehsils in the Prayagraj region.
Source: aajtak
The new district, once declared, saw the usual installment of officials such as the DM, SDM, SP, and Additional SP—Vijay Kiran Anand served as the DM of Kumbh Mela, with SSP Mahakumbh Mela being Rajesh Dwivedi. In addition, three ADMs, 28 SDMs, one tehsildar, and 24 deputy tehsildars were appointed. For policing, the district had 56 police stations, 155 outposts, one cyber cell police station, one women's police station, and three river police stations.
Uniquely, Uttar Pradesh is perhaps the only state where a district is formed solely for hosting such a massive fair, albeit only during the event duration. Interestingly, though the Kumbh Mela district was notified on December 1, 2024, no closure date was announced. DM Mela Kumbh Vijay Kiran Anand explains that while the festival is over, numerous administrative tasks linger, which is why no final notification date was established—the district's closure notice will release with task completion.
Source: aajtak
On February 26, after the final holy bath of Mahashivratri, and on February 27, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath officially closing the event, tasks commenced to dismantle the temporary structures that hosted over 660 million people, as well as the akharas of saints and Nagas.
Additionally, inventory from the tent city must return, with item reconciliation, payment settlements, and billing from both governmental and private establishments, potentially taking all of March.
About 80% of the security force deployed for the Kumbh has already returned. The remaining 20% will gradually redeploy to their original posts starting from March 6 onwards.
