Devotees at 'Ardhakumbh' to cross 10 cr in 2016: Rawat

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today said he was confident that by the month of April when Ardhakumbh draws to a close the number of devotees converging on the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar will have crossed the 10 crore mark.

"We are extremely enthused by the positive response of devotees to arrangements for the Ardhakumbh fair this time.

"Arrangements have been made with an estimated crowd of 10 crore devotees likely to visit the mela but considering the initial response, I am sure by April the number of visitors will cross this figure," Rawat told reporters here.

The state government wants those coming for a holy bath in the Ganga during Ardhakumbh to stay there for at least two-three days, he said, adding additional features have been introduced at the event this time to lure visitors.

The facilities for the convenience of devotees in the mela area have also been expanded with a hill bypass constructed and the Kumbh area expanded up to Devprayag, Rawat said.

Noting that non-allocation of funds from the Centre had also been responsible for non-construction of a couple of more ghats, he said a helping hand from the Centre would have helped the state government to add at least one more area in the Kumbh zone.

However, Rawat hoped that the Centre will soon release the Rs 164 crore sanctioned earlier for the purpose.