Land allocation done through portal, transparency ensured: Maha Kumbh Mela Authority

The SP’s media cell, in a statement posted on X on December 21, had showed a picture of a seer alleging that he was facing harassment and running from one office to another seeking allocation of land in Mela area. The post also alleged the Maha Kumbh has been “commercialised” in an aim at earning money instead of providing services to the seers and the pilgrims.

In a response to the allegations, the Mela Authority shared details on Monday regarding the allocation procedure.

According to the Authority, in Kumbh 2019, the details and allocations of over 5,500 institutions were digitised. This time, land is being allocated to over 10,000 institutions, including government, emergency, social, and religious organisations. This transparent system ensures that saints and institutions can complete their work easily and promptly without standing in long queues.

In this ‘Amrit Mahotsav Maha Kumbh’, the authority informed that more than 40 crore devotees are expected to visit Prayagraj to take holy dip. Additionally, lakhs of people will observe ‘Kalpavas’ (stay on bank of Sangam) during the Maha Kumbh.

According to Additional Mela Officer Vivek Chaturvedi, a GIS-based map has been utilised to design the layout of the Kumbh Mela, spanning 4,000 hectares across 25 sectors. Pre- and post-monsoon drone surveys were conducted to create precise topographic maps of the land.

These surveys resulted in preparation of high-resolution maps, GIS-based layers, and geo-referenced CAD files with an accuracy of 0.5 cm.

The Prayagraj Mela Authority has accepted applications from institutions that participated in Kumbh 2019 as well. For this, the authority conducted extensive publicity through local and national newspapers and invited applications on its portal from October 29, 2024, to November 12, 2024.

The 2019 Kumbh data was analysed to allocate land and facilities following established rules. After application analysis, allocation, and approval by the authority, digitised facility slips were created. Vendors can view these facility slips online and update the details, including photos, in coordination with the institutions.

The digital and online system is allowing applicants to access updates about their land allocation and facilities at any time and raise objections if necessary. To assist with facilitating devotees and expediting their requests, a large number of ‘Kumbh Fellows’ have been deployed to support the Mela administration.

There is complete digitisation of application data with live tracking of application status and allocation, the spokesperson said. Automated data flows between vendors and government departments related to facility slips for timely establishment.

Third-party inspection and verification committee model is done for validation with photographic evidence of facility setup.

Customised MIS reports and comprehensive institutional analysis is done by the Prayagraj Mela Authority. This software will enable the authority to complete land and facility allocation on time with minimal queues and physical appointments by institutional representatives.