At 10 am, a policeman deployed at the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) raised an alarm for colleagues to rush to Sector 17 as it was getting overly crowded.

In a flash, personnel on duty in the sector diverted people to other sectors to prevent the area from getting overly crowded.

The ICCC, the watchtower established on the first floor of the Kumbh Mela Authority, is the heart that helps police and the district administration keep a watch on movement of influx of devotees.

SSP Mela Rajesh Dwivedi said, "The ICCC has been of great help as our team is able to keep tabs on people's movement across the city and particularly in the Mela area."

The ICCC not only helps in controlling the movement of devotees but also plays a key role in various types of surveillance, he said. Surveillance is conducted from three angles: security, crowd management, and crime prevention.

He said, "For crowd management, we track the flow of people, where the crowd is concentrated, and how to regulate it. This technique helps us direct the crowd to areas with less congestion."

"Parking areas are also under constant surveillance. Cameras installed in each parking lot indicate whether they are full or empty. When a parking lot reaches its capacity, we close it and direct vehicles to the next available lot. The nearest parking is filled first to minimise walking distance for the bathers."

The SSP emphasised the significant role of AI cameras, which help in decision-making, though he clarified that they are not completely relied upon. "AI cameras increase our capacity to manage crowd control, which is unprecedented at such a large scale. Our forces are trained institutionally, but having data-based evidence helps further enhance our skills."

He explained that there are four ICCC units in the fair area. In case of an emergency, another unit can be used for better coordination and monitoring.

Meanwhile, Tourist Information Centres (TICs) within the Mahakumbh area have proved helpful for millions of devotees as they seek information related to makeshift free camps established by the administration. These centres are providing visitors with timely information and assistance, ranging from basic enquiries to urgent support.

To upscale the travel experience for the millions of visitors during Mahakumbh 2025 and beyond Uttar Pradesh government has established TICs within the Mahakumbh area in Prayagraj, along with additional TICs located at the city's railway station and airport.

The UP government has partnered with the India Assist, tech-enabled travel assistance. Harish Khatri, founder of India Assist, said "With this partnership, we are privileged to help millions of visitors."

Garuda Rakshak - reuniting lost kids with parents

A groundbreaking offline, drone-based search-and-rescue solution designed to swiftly reunite lost children with their families and overcome network congestion challenges, a new technology called Garuda Rakshak has been put into place.

It utilises low-frequency radio bands for long-range communication and precision satellite tracking, all while requiring minimal infrastructure.

Inspired by the mythological Garuda, Garuda Rakshak serves as a guardian in the sky. It is based on 1970s marine navigation technology. If a child goes missing, guardians can simply tap their ID bands at the Lost and Found Centre to activate the Garuda Rakshak system.

The drone, armed with real-time geo-data from the child's wristband, springs into action, pinpointing the child's location within minutes. It deploys an extendable colour marker high in the sky, cutting through the chaos to visually guide rescuers, while simultaneously transmitting the child's details to the on-ground rescue team. This seamless, revolutionary solution ensures a fast, reliable rescue, even in the most chaotic situations.