Haridwar: Hovercrafts on cards to ferry visitors during Mahakumbh 2021

Ferry boats and hovercrafts will likely be launched to facilitate the travel of visitors between Haridwar and Rishikesh during Mahakumbh 2021. Reportedly, authorities in Haridwar have taken cues from the ferry boats and hovercrafts that were operated on Ganga and Yamuna during Prayagraj Kumbh in 2019.

As per the reports, the hovercrafts will be able to transport around 100 to 125 people at a time. The authorities are of the view that this will help ferry travellers and pilgrims without much hassle. The Kumbh Mela administration has already given a presentation in New Delhi to the officials of Union Ministry of Shipping in this regard.Deepak Rawat, officer-in-charge of Kumbh Mela, said that as soon as the permission for the same is granted, appropriate steps will be taken to operate waterways services using ferry boats and hovercrafts. He also added that this year, in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, development and progress has been slow. He maintained, “Mela administration is committed to making Mahakumbh 2021 a memorable experience for the pilgrims. Using river Ganga as a waterway will be a landmark development and a major attraction for pilgrims and tourists. It will also lessen traffic congestion on highway stretch and on inner roads, in particular during the festive baths.”

The authorities of Kumbh Mela will also be dividing the Ganga ghats into colour-coded zones to ensure proper safety of visitors amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Elaborating more on measures to be taken during this occasion, Sanjay Gunjyal, Inspector General of Kumbh Force, said that pilgrims will be apprised about red, yellow and green ghats, which will help avoid congestion at one particular ghat.