DEHRADUN: Plans are underway for the Mahakumbh 2021 in Haridwar to go green by making the whole 'mela' area off-limits for all hydrocarbon-based vehicles. Also, the LED lights installed at the religious congregation are proposed to be powered by solar energy.
Deepak Rawat, former district magistrate of Haridwar and Nainital, who is in charge of the month-long event organised every 12 years, said, "We are gearing up to give a presentation with this proposal to state government authorities. The idea is to make the Mahakumbh free of pollution."
Under the proposal, electrical buses, e-rickshaws, e-scooters and e-bikes will be arranged for devotees and tourists to commute to the mela area on the banks of the holy Ganga including Har ki Pairi and many other areas in the vicinity of the river.
More than five crore people are expected to attend the rituals in the Mahakumbh and take a dip in the Ganga.
Over 100 drones will monitor the congregation round the clock along with 1500 CCTVs.
Along with the drones, the police have planned to make use of LCD screens and face recognition cameras to monitor crowds and traffic.
Routes for rickshaws and autos will be separate to avoid traffic congestion at the site.
The use of drones will help the police monitor the ghats and manage the crowd of devotees thronging the spot seeking salvation.
The state police are also planning to create social media accounts on social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter to stay connected with the people directly.