India, Jan. 29 -- MAHAKUMBH NAGAR As Prayagraj braces for the biggest congregation on earth for Mauni Amavasya on Wednesday, when 8 to 10 crore faithful are expected to converge on the Sangam for a holy dip, managing crowd through 'holding areas' across the city will be the key to ensure an incident-free mega event.

"Crowd safety, security and surveillance will be a challenge on Mauni Amavasya, when pilgrims take a holy dip, believing that they will be free from sins and cycle of birth and rebirth," said a senior official of the state government.

Mahakumbh Nagar, spread over 4000 hectares, is divided into 25 sectors. For efficient crowd management, holding areas have been created in all the sectors, where officials will hold back pilgri...