PRAYAGRAJ, Jan. 15 -- The first day of the two-day Makar Sankranti bathing, the second official bathing festival of the ongoing Magh Mela 2026, witnessed around 85 lakh devotees taking the holy dip in Sangam waters on Thursday. As per astrologers, the Makar Sankranti bathing is being held over two days, on January 14 and 15, even though the mela administration has formally marked January 15 as the day of the bathing fest. The bathing coincided with the pious occasion of Shatila Ekadashi, which led to a higher-than-expected number of devotees arriving at Sangam for the holy dip. According to Magh Mela officer Rishiraj, 85 lakh devotees took the holy dip in Sangam waters on the first day of Makar Sankranti. As per him, the crowd could swell further on Thursday, for which all arrangements were in place to handle the pressure. Beginning in the early hours of Wednesday morning, lakhs of devotees started bathing in the holy waters of Sangam, with hordes of them walking several kilometers to reach Sangam throughout the day. Vehicles heading towards Sangam were stopped at parking lots created on different routes, including GT Jawahar, Tikonia Chowk, Sulem Sarai, and Phaphamau, requiring devotees to walk long distances to reach Sangam. Divisional commissioner Soumya Agarwal, police commissioner Jogendra Kumar, and district magistrate (DM) Manish Kumar Verma jointly briefed media persons on the proceedings of the bathing. The divisional commissioner said preparations for the bathing festival on Thursday had been completed. On the occasion of Sankranti on Thursday, around 1.5 crore devotees are expected to take the holy dip. Police Commissioner Jogendra Kumar said that the police administration was on high alert. Additional police forces are deployed at seven hotspots, which are the entry points. In addition, at places like Naini Bridge, Shastri Bridge, Teliyarganj Bridge, Andhawa, and Sahson, where extra crowd pressure is expected, additional traffic and police personnel have been deployed. Everyone has been instructed to prevent traffic jams to facilitate the movement of devotees. Quick Response Teams (QRTs) have also been deployed to prevent any problems for the people. Information is also being gathered through Google Maps so that accurate information could be provided to the teams deployed at various points in a timely manner. DM Manish Kumar Verma said all arrangements had been completed, with two hospitals of 20-bed capacity each set up in the mela area. Additionally, beds have also been reserved in all government and private hospitals in the district to deal with any emergency. "Three large night shelters have been set up in the mela area, while all 40 night shelters within the municipal limits have been kept operational. The largest holding area near Khusro Bagh is operational, with a capacity sufficient to accommodate 25,000 people at a time," he added. A total of 16 temporary holding areas have been constructed for the convenience and safe movement of devotees, and 1,800 buses are being operated by the roadways for the convenience of devotees. According to the Mela officer, 24 bathing ghats have been constructed for the devotees, and the length of the ghats has been increased to 3.69 km. Dredging along the ghats during the Mahakumbh has also increased the circulating area. More than 1,200 changing rooms have been built for women along the ghats. For the first time, temporary, foldable, canopy-shaped changing rooms have also been constructed near the permanent ghats. According to the DM, for the first time, two river ambulances have been stationed at the mela to rescue devotees experiencing difficulties while bathing in the Sangam area. The facility will be able to rescue devotees in critical condition from the middle of the river in a timely manner. In view of heavy rush, the Railways have made arrangements to operate special trains at intervals of 30 to 40 minutes. This was finalised in a coordination meeting between the railways and the administration. Three control rooms have been set up, including one in the mela area, one for the Police department, and another in the Sangam auditorium. From these control rooms, coordination will be maintained with all departments. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath had instructed the administrative officers during a meeting on January 10 that the bathing at the Magh Mela is not an ordinary bath, but a holy bath. Therefore, people should be encouraged not to use soap and oil. Police Commissioner Jogendra Kumar said that all devotees have been appealed to not use soap or wash clothes. DM Manish Kumar Verma said that people should not dry clothes on the ghats, and should also take the minimum possible time for bathing and vacate the ghats as quickly as possible afterward....