Prayagraj News: Ujjwal Raman Singh, Member of Parliament from Allahabad (Prayagraj), visited Swarooprani Nehru (SRN) Hospital on Thursday. He met the victims of the Mahakumbh stampede and inspected the situation. Singh paid tribute to the deceased and wished the injured a speedy recovery. He strongly criticized the fair administration and police, calling the incident a result of negligence and mismanagement.
Administration Ignored Warnings
Singh said, “We already knew that the fair administration was careless. We even held a press conference in Lucknow, where state Congress president Ajay Rai was also present.” He added, “We warned that the administration was not ready to listen to any advice.”
No Fair Committee Meetings Held
The MP claimed that no meeting of the fair committee had taken place. He argued that if experienced officials from previous Kumbh fairs had been consulted, better arrangements could have been made.
Singh pointed out that despite the large number of pilgrims, the arrangements were only for VIPs, leaving common pilgrims, priests, boatmen, and locals struggling.
“Pilgrims were forced to walk up to 30 kilometers to reach the fair area. Naturally, they had to sleep there after arriving,” he said.
Judicial Probe and Compensation Demand
Singh criticized the three-member judicial commission, calling it a cover-up attempt. He questioned why all 30 pontoon bridges were closed, asking, “Who ordered these closures? If I was stopped for four hours, what must have happened to regular pilgrims?”
He demanded stricter actions against responsible officials and suggested increasing compensation to ₹50 lakh for the deceased and ₹10 lakh for the injured.
Government’s Failure in Infrastructure Projects
Singh highlighted the government’s failure in completing key infrastructure projects, such as the six-lane bridge at Phaphamau and the inner ring road.
CM’s Announcement
After the tragic stampede during the Mauni Amavasya bath, which claimed 30 lives and injured 60, CM Yogi Adityanath announced ₹25 lakh compensation for the victims’ families.
Singh urged the government to ban VIP visits in the fair area until February 3, citing earlier requests to the administration.
