Haridwar Railway station

The Uttarakhand government will release Rs 324 crore for taking up temporary works for next year's Maha Kumbh Mela here.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank after inaugurating 'Haridwar Mahotsav' here, said 75 per cent of the total allocation of Rs 440 crore would be spent on temporary works.

Facilities like water, accommodation would be taken up under temporary projects, while roads would be laid and flyovers constructed under permanent works.

The Supreme Court has given clearance for a bypass at Haridwar which would decongest the area during the Mela, he said.

Train services to Haridwar will be irregular between November 22 and December 20 as Railways will take up upgrading of operating system in the station ahead of the Kumbh Mela next year.

While a few passenger trains between Risikesh and Haridwar will remain cancelled during the period, a couple of express train like Kathgodam-Dehradun Express and Hazrat Nizamuddin-Dehradun Express will remain cancelled on December 14, a Northern Railway spokesperson said today.

About 10 lakh pilgrims from across the country are expected to converge at the holy town for the mela.

The spokesperson said that from December 5 to 20, Haridwar-SriGanganagar Express and Amritsar-Haridwar Express trains will originate and terminate at Jwalapur junction.

Likewise, Allahabad-Haridwar tri-weekly Express trains will originate and terminate at Jwalapur from December 6th  to 18th