Close on the heels after 18 people died in a stampede ... Centre to build permanent 'zones' to handle extra rush of passengers at 60 high-traffic Railway stations

In the wake of the stampede, no counter sale of platform tickets won't be available at the New Delhi station till February 26.

The central government will build permanent holding zones to handle the extra rush of passengers at 60 high-traffic railway stations and use Artificial Intelligence (AI) for crowd and crisis management, sources told India Today TV. 

This comes close on the heels after 18 people died in a stampede at the New Delhi railway station that was triggered due to a sudden rush of Maha Kumbh devotees catching trains towards Prayagraj.

Railways to run special campaign to address overcrowding issues  

Local officials will receive training in situational awareness and crisis management.

For directional assistance, arrows and separators will be created to guide passengers towards the designated holding areas, reports 'India Today'. 

The use of technology, including AI, will be used to monitor crowd movement, especially during train delays. As many as 35 stations connected to Prayagraj will be monitored by the central war room. 

Cameras will monitor people sitting on foot over bridges and staircase landing areas as part of crowd control measures, sources said, adding that 200 CCTVs have been installed at the New Delhi railway station alone.

As many as 90 per cent of devotees heading for the Maha Kumbh travel from a 300 km radius across four states, leading to specific monitoring efforts at busy stations.

The stampede occurred around 10 pm on Saturday night when a sea of passengers, confused by a mix-up in train announcements, rushed towards platform 16 via a narrow stairway at the New Delhi railway station.

Trapped between those trying to move up and others trying to descend, the crowd turned into a human bottleneck. Within minutes, panic spread, and people began falling, leading to a horrifying crush.

Some sources said delays in train departures and the sale of over 1,500 general tickets every hour at the railway station may have created a chaotic situation.

A high-level committee has been formed by the Railway Ministry to investigate the stampede. The committee, including two high administrative group officials, has begun examining CCTV footage and other documents, while others are conducting enquiries. The report is expected to be submitted soon.

The Railways has announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of those killed, Rs 2.5 lakh for those seriously injured and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries.