Uttar Pradesh
UP Declares Maha Kumbh Area a New District
- 02 Dec 2024
- 3 min read
Why in News?
Recently, the Uttar Pradesh government has declared the Maha Kumbh area in Prayagraj as a new district.
- It was made to streamline the management and administration of the upcoming Kumbh Mela scheduled for January 2025.
Key Points
- The notification was issued under Section 2 (th) of the Uttar Pradesh Prayagraj Mela Authority, Prayagraj Act, 2017.
- It officially declares the Mahakumbh Mela District for organizing the Mahakumbh 2025.
- The Mela Adhikari was made the administrative authority of the new district.
- Powers and Responsibilities of Mela Adhikari:
- The Mela Adhikari, Kumbh Mela, Prayagraj, will hold powers of the Executive Magistrate, District Magistrate, and Additional District Magistrate under Section-14 (1) and relevant sections of the Indian Civil Defense Code, 2023.
- The Mela Adhikari will also possess all the powers of the District Magistrate and Collector under the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code, 2006 (amended in 2016), for handling all cases.
- The Mela Adhikari has the authority to appoint an Additional Collector for the district.
Maha Kumbh
- Kumbh Mela comes under United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
- It is the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth, during which participants bathe or take a dip in a sacred river.
- It takes place on the banks of the Godavari river in Nashik, the Shipra river in Ujjain, the Ganges in Haridwar, and the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati river in Prayagraj. The confluence is referred to as the ‘Sangam‘.
- As it is held in four different cities in India, it involves different social and cultural activities, making this a culturally diverse festival.
- The over month-long fair is marked by the construction of a massive tented township, complete with cottages, huts, platforms, civic facilities, administrative and security measures.
- It is organised immaculately by the government, the local authorities and the police.
- The mela is especially renowned for the presence of an extraordinary array of religious ascetics enticed from remote hideaways in forests, mountains and caves.
