Entry, exit points planned every 200 m along 35-km Simhastha ghats

Indore: With nearly 30 crore devotees expected to attend 2028 Simhastha, Ujjain administration is planning entry and exit points at every 200 metres along the 35-km-long ghats being developed on both sides of the Kshipra river as part of extensive crowd management strategy.

Around 65 entry and exit points have so far been proposed on the left bank side of the new ghats while a survey for similar arrangements on the right bank is currently underway, officials said.

The administration is developing nearly 35 km of ghats in total, including around 29 km of new ghats and 6 km of renovation and strengthening work on existing ghats ahead of the mega religious congregation.

“The multiple access points are aimed at reducing crowd pressure at a single location and ensuring smoother movement during peak bathing days. The plan is to encourage devotees to use the nearest ghats and take the nearest entry and exit points for effective crowd management,” Ujjain collector Roshan Singh said.

Officials said that the entry and exit systems were being planned on both the right and left banks of the riverfront to improve crowd dispersal and minimise bottlenecks during major bathing dates, when lakhs of devotees are expected to gather simultaneously at the ghats.

The proposed layout is also expected to improve emergency access for police, disaster response teams and medical services in case of congestion or any untoward incident during the event.

Planners associated with Simhastha preparations said that crowd movement and evacuation systems have become a major focus area after studying crowd management models used during other large-scale religious gatherings in the country.

The administration is simultaneously working on integrated traffic circulation plans, holding areas and pedestrian movement systems around the mela zone to streamline pilgrim flow.

Preparations for Simhastha 2028 are currently underway at multiple levels in Ujjain, including riverfront expansion, road connectivity, accommodation planning and civic infrastructure development.