Lucknow, June 25 : The Uttar Pradesh government will use artificial intelligence-based technologies and tools for crowd management at the upcoming Maha Kumbh 2025 in Prayagraj.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the state police department to embrace the technology for the mega event.

The Chief Minister said that the scale of the event was expected to be unprecedented and therefore it was essential to create a benchmark in terms of security, cleanliness and convenience.

'The Kumbh is an interface between India's rich religious and cultural heritage and the world. Therefore, there is a need to ensure safety, convenience and cleanliness at the event,' he said at a meeting of senior officials at his residence.

Claiming that the mela will be an opportunity to boost brand UP and brand India, the Chief Minister told officials to engage professional agencies to organise the event and spread the word on it so that pilgrims and tourists from all over the world can come over and become a part of history.

'The police department and other stakeholders must leverage the advantage of technology for effective crowd management to avert any untoward incident. A detailed action and contingency plan must be drawn up. AI-based equipment and techniques must be used to keep an eye on crowd density so that any possible clustering may be dispersed before the group upsets order in any pocket,' he said.

The Chief Minister said that the Ganga and Kalpvasis were the spirit of the Maha Kumbh and directed officials to ensure that the mela was organised around the green theme.

He also said the departments concerned must ensure a clean Ganga from Bijnor to Ballia.

Officials, who attended the meeting, said that compared to 2019, when the Kumbh was spread across 3200 hectares, the 2025 Mela would be organised in an area of 4000 hectares.

The Chief Minister also directed police to train and sensitise the personnel for the mela duty.

'They must be warm, soft-spoken and dignified, yet affirmative while dealing with pilgrims and visitors,' he said and also scanned through tourism department projects taking shape in the wake of the mela.

'The corridor connecting Akshay Vat, Saraswati Koop, and Patalpuri Temple should be completed at the earliest and help from the Indian Army unit in Prayagraj may be sought to accelerate the progress of the project,' he said.

He also directed organisers to ensure that adequate arrangements are made for international VIP and VVIP guests.

The Urban Development Department said that over 1.5 lakh toilets will be made on the ground for the convenience of the pilgrims. They added that more than 10,000 sanitation workers will be engaged to ensure that these toilets remain functional.

/IANS