730 organisations risk ban for failing to set up campsat Mahakumbh-2025
Failure to reply to show-cause notices issued by the Prayagraj Mela Authority in time or provide valid reasons could result in these organisations being blacklisted from future editions of the religious fair.
The Prayagraj Mela Authority (PMA) has issued show-cause notices to 730 religious and cultural organisations that applied for land and other facilities but failed to set up their camps on the banks of the Sangam during Mahakumbh-2025, which concluded on February 26, 2025, officials said.
If these organisations do not reply to the notices in time or fail to provide valid reasons for their absence at the mega religious fair despite being allotted land and facilities, their institution codes, issued by the Mela Authority, could be cancelled, officials added.
The move follows a verification drive undertaken by the PMA towards the end of Mahakumbh-2025. During the verification process, officials checked whether the sites allotted to organisations for setting up camps remained inhabited or uninhabited during the mega fair, officials said.
Failure to reply in time or provide valid reasons will result in these organisations being blacklisted from future editions of the fair, including the annual Magh Melas, the once-in-six-year Kumbhs, and the once-in-12-year Mahakumbhs, officials emphasised.
Mahakumbh Mela Adhikari Vijay Kiran Anand confirmed that show-cause notices have been served on 730 organisations and institutions that did not set up camps after being allotted land and other facilities during Mahakumbh-2025. Action will be taken against those that fail to provide valid reasons, he added.
“These organisations will have to explain the reason for not setting up camps at Mahakumbh-2025. If their explanation is found unsatisfactory, action will be taken against them,” ADM (Mahakumbh) Vivek Chaturvedi said.
According to officials, limited land is available for setting up the tent city for each edition of the religious fair. The sites, sizes of plots, and facilities like power and water connections are allotted based on the applications received.
If an institution applies, receives allotted land and facilities, but fails to set up a camp, it directly results in a loss for another applicant, they pointed out.
This year, land and facilities were allotted to around 10,000 institutions, of which more than 3,500 were new. Representatives of these new institutions were invited in November and December, after the allocation of land and facilities to older institutions, to apply for the same.
As per the instructions of the state government, all institutions were provided facilities after their purposes were verified. As the Mahakumbh neared its conclusion after the Maghi Purnima bathing festival on February 12, the mela administration deployed teams for verification.
The Mahakumbh tent city was set up across 4,000 hectares this year. Many sought land and facilities around Sangam Marg, Akhara Marg, and Mahavir Marg, the heart of the fairground, but only older institutions were allotted land in these areas. New institutions were given space in the expanded areas. This was a significant reason why many institutions and organisations did not show up, as they feared the distance from the Sangam nose and the heart of the tent city would result in less visitors to their camps, claimed a representative of one such institution.