PRAYAGRAJ, Jan. 3 -- Braving dense fog and chilly winds, lakhs of pilgrims will take a holy dip in the Sangam waters in Prayagraj on Saturday, the first day of the 44-day Magh Mela. With an anticipated footfall of 12-15 crore devotees, this is the first Magh Mela to be held after last year's Mahakumbh and is expected to be the largest-ever. Divisional commissioner Saumya Agarwal, while briefing mediapersons on Friday, said all preparations for the Mela had been completed. Along with comprehensive traffic management plans, special attention was given to ensuring basic amenities for pilgrims. "For the first time, helicopter and paragliding services will be introduced. To promote tourism, popular artists will perform at the Mela venue," she said. Recently, chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to put in place foolproof arrangements to ensure a safe, clean and well-organised Magh Mela. According to Pandit Diwaker Tripathi, the director of Utthan Jyotish Sansthan, the auspicious time for the first holy dip on Paush Purnima began at 6:12 pm on Friday and would continue till 4:03 am on January 4. Around 30 lakh devotees are expected to take the first holy dip, for which the ghat area has been expanded to nearly 10,000 feet to accommodate the massive influx. Police commissioner Jogendra Kumar said 17 police stations, 40 police outposts, water police stations, control rooms and watchtowers have been established in the Mela area. "A 10-tier security system has been implemented. Surveillance will be carried out through CCTV cameras, and police teams have been deployed at inter-state borders as well," he said. To strengthen crowd management, 1,154 CCTV cameras linked to the Integrated Control and Command Centre (ICCC) have been installed across the district, in addition to 260 AI-based CCTV cameras installed exclusively in the Mela area. Also, for the first time, an official Magh Mela logo has been unveiled. The administration has tied up with bike companies to facilitate easier access for devotees travelling to the Sangam. QR-code-based grievance registration has been introduced on electric poles, enabling pilgrims to seek assistance within minutes. District magistrate Manish Kumar Verma said special arrangements had been made for healthcare, including the deployment of 50 ambulances, two large hospitals and adequate medical staff. More than 25,000 changing rooms have been set up along the ghats, while over 5,000 security personnel have been deployed. "Efforts have been made to keep the Mela area plastic-free. A food safety team has been deployed to monitor food quality. Bonfires have been arranged in every sector, and three control rooms have been established-one in the mela area, one at police lines and one at the collectorate," he added. To prevent fire incidents, the fire department has set up 20 fire stations, seven fire outposts and 20 watchtowers across the mela area, with 650 firefighters stationed round the clock. A three-minute response time has been fixed for fire tenders in all seven mela sectors. Chief fire officer Animesh Singh said illegal LPG cylinders have been completely banned. "A total of 70 fire tenders of varying capacities and 40 firefighting bikes will patrol the mela area. Mini fire tenders will be deployed in Arail and Jhunsi," he said. The Magh Mela will begin with Paush Purnima on Saturday and conclude with the sixth and final holy bath on Mahashivratri, February 15. Other major bathing dates include Makar Sankranti (January 14-15), Mauni Amavasya (January 18), Basant Panchami (January 23) and Maghi Purnima (February 1, 2026)....