Over 1 million Kanwariyas arrive in Haridwar in just first two days of Yatra
Over 40 million devotees are expected in the holy city of Haridwar during the two weeks of the Kanwar Yatra this year
Uttarakhand on Friday witnessed a massive footfall in the ongoing Kanwar Yatra, with more than 1 million Shiva devotees arriving in the state within just the first two days of the pilgrimage that began on Thursday.
Kanwariyas, as they are addressed, from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and other states are pouring in in large numbers after a gap of two years as the annual pilgrimmage could not be held due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Citing the major influx of devotees, the administration has decided to completely prohibit the entry of heavy vehicles from July 20 midnight from 5 am till 11 pm. From July 21, there will be a total ban on heavy vehicles from the national highway passing through Haridwar, till the pilgrimmage is over.
According to senior superintendent of police (Haridwar) Yogendra Singh Rawat, a new traffic plan has been drafted for the peak days when hordes of pilgrims will start coming in vehicles via highways.
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Till July 21, vehicles from the Delhi side — Rishikesh-Dehradun — will be diverted from the Rampur tri-intersection at the Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand border via Deoband, Gagalhedi, Biharigarh to Asha Rodi entry check post in Dehradun.
Vehicles coming from the Delhi-Meerut-Muzaffarnagar will be diverted from Manglaur, Nagla Imarti service lane towards Landaura, Laksar, Sultanpur, Pherupur, Jagjeetpur, SM trisection, Shani chowk, Matri Sadan, Dakshdeep parking side, Bairagi camp span bridge to Bairagi camp parking ground.
Vehicles coming from Yamunanagar-Saharanpur towards Haridwar will be diverted from NH-344 through Bhagwanpur, Bijhauli, Military hospital, Manglaur, Nagla Imarti, Landaura, Laksar, Jagjeetpur, Shani chowk, Matri Sadan stretches to the Bairagi camp.
As a precautionary measure, the police have closed the Singh Dwar Ganga canal walking lane after some Kanwariyas passed through the stretch instead of the charted Kanwar route.
Jwalapur station house officer RK Saklani said that Kanwariyas risked their lives by passing through the railway track and are being urged to follow the specified route only.
At major shrines and temples, adequate arrangements have been put in place for the pilgrimage. At the mela zone, from Bhimgoda barrier, post-office-Juna Akhada square and Har-ki-Pauri, prohibition on four-wheeler vehicles have been imposed till the completion of the fair.
Over 40 million devotees are expected in the holy city of Haridwar during the two weeks of the Yatra. Around 10,000 police personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order, and manage the mammoth crowd and traffic.
The Kanwar area this year has been divided into 31 zones and 133 sectors. CCTV cameras, drones, social media monitoring, immediate communication through WhatsApp groups among police personnel, and public address systems are also being put to use. Paramilitary forces and bomb disposal squads are also on high alert to prevent any untoward incident.