Odisha Cancels Special Bus Service To Prayagraj Till Feb 4 Day After Maha Kumbh Stampede

The Odisha government had decided to operate special bus service to Maha Kumbh till February 26. CM Mohan Majhi had flagged off the special bus service from four locations in the state on Jan 12.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi virtually flags off special pilgrim bus services from Odisha to Prayagraj in Bhubaneswar.

Source : X/

Day after the Maha Kumbh stampede killed 30 people in Prayagraj, the Odisha government on Thursday announced cancelling the special bus service for the grand festival till February 4.

"Due to unavoidable circumstances, the special bus service to Ayodhya for Maha Kumbh Mela stands cancelled with immediate effect till February 4," a government statement said.

The government directive further said that the updates will be shared with the public on the official social media handles and website. 

The Odisha government had decided to operate special bus service to Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj till February 26. However, the government decided to cancel the special bus service for the Kumbh after at least 30 people were killed, 60 injured and several went missing in a pre-dawn stampede at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh on Wednesday.

The stampeded occurred as millions of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of one of the most auspicious days of Mauni Amavasya.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had flagged off the special bus service for Maha Kumbh Mela from four locations of the state on January 12. Though, the special pilgrim buses were launched from Puri, Berhampur, Bhawanipatna and Sambalpur, it was also started from Koraput and Keonjhar.

The state Transport and Commerce department regretted the inconvenience caused to passengers due to the cancellation of the special bus service. The Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) will refund the money to people who had booked tickets for the visit to Maha Kumbh Mela, it said.