Prayagraj witnesses thin attendance to Sangam amid summer

Prayagraj witnesses thin attendance to Sangam amid summer

After the onset of summer season, the banks of Sangam are witnessing a thin attendance of devotees and pilgrims, impacting the livelihood of boatmen.

While the boatmen claim to have earned hefty profits during Maha Kumbh, they are now finding few takers.

Prayagraj President Navik Sangh, Pappu Nishad stated to the media that after Maha Kumbh, there is certainly limited attendance of devotees and pilgrims flocking to Sangam to take holy dips and perform rituals. In the present scenario, the majority of devotees travelling to Sangam are from Varanasi or Ayodhya.”

He went on to add that , those arriving in Varanasi or Ayodhya to seek blessings of Lord Shiva and Lord Ram often plan their tours to Sangam in Prayagraj to take holy dips and perform rituals.

However, the strength of such devotees is very limited and directly impacting the income of boatmen.

In the present scenario, a boatman is charging Rs 90 for a devotee to ferry a pilgrim from Quila Ghat to Sangam, and the rate from other ghats to Sangam is more or less. As per Suraj, a boatman, around 75% of all around 1,500 boatmen in and around Prayagraj earn their livelihoods by catering to the pilgrims at Sangam.” Adding that in the absence of a large number of visitors who arrive at Sangam to take holy dips, boatmen are fighting to earn big earnings.” He added, “The strength of devotees would decline once temperature crosses 45 degrees Celsius.” Anup, another boatman, asserted, they are hardly able to manage better earnings by catering to the few visitors who arrive either to take holy dips or to immerse the mortal remains of their loved ones.” Pointedly, those boatmen who were earlier engaged in sand mining had switched to ferrying pilgrims during Maha Kumbh and want to continue rowing boats at Sangam as they currently don’t have any other option.

News Edit KV Raman