Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh jail administration is making arrangements to bring holy water from Prayagraj’s Sangam to 75 jails across the state, allowing inmates to participate in the Maha Kumbh.

According to the Office of UP Jail Minister Dara Singh Chauhan, the programme will take place in all the jails on February 21, from 9.30 am to 10 am. Over 90,000 inmates are currently lodged in 75 jails, including seven central prisons, across the state, the Prison Department officials said. Director General (DG) of Prisons PV Ramasastry said that arrangements are being made under the supervision of the jail minister.

The holy water from the Sangam will be brought to all the jails and mixed with regular water and stored in a small tank within the jail premises. All the prisoners will bathe in the water after prayers, the officials said. Minister Chauhan, along with senior jail officials, is expected to attend a programme at Lucknow jail on February 21.

Gorakhpur District Jail Jailor AK Kushwaha said that the prison administration has sent prison guard Arun Maurya to collect the holy water from Prayagraj’s Sangam. The ‘gangajal’ will be mixed with regular water to ensure inmates can also take part in the Maha Kumbh, he said.

Senior Superintendent at Prayagraj’s Naini Central Jail Rang Bahadur said similar arrangements will be made for inmates on February 21. Prayagraj District Jail Senior Superintendent Amita Dubey confirmed that around 1,350 prisoners are excited about the ‘snan’ as they will get a chance to take part in the grand event despite their confinement. Meanwhile, the Unnao jail administered on February 17 organised a similar programme for its inmates.

Unnao Jail Superintendent Pankaj Kumar Singh said that the plan to offer prisoners a chance to bathe with the holy water had been in consideration for some time and they will get a second chance on February 21 as the jail administration will arrange another ‘snan’ for them. The Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj will conclude on February 26.

Young locals on motorcycles and scooters are ferrying pilgrims through massive crowds at the Kumbh Mela religious festival, creating a lucrative temporary business for students. The sea of devotees heading to Triveni Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, has paralysed regular taxi and rickshaw services from the railway station and airport, with journeys taking several hours. This has spawned an impromptu two-wheeler taxi service, with vehicles ranging from motorcycles to scooters of different brands operated by both male and female college students. The service charges range between Rs 100 and 1,000 per ride. “I saw people stuck in traffic for hours and decided to help them,” said Vijay, a law student who turned his motorcycle into a taxi. “Most of the college students are riding the bike taxi and earning Rs 3,000-5,000 a day,” said Peter, an unemployed postgraduate who joined the enterprise. He plans to resume job hunting after

the festival ends.