Garhwal Post Bureau
Haridwar, 3 Jul: The state government has stepped up preparations to ensure the forthcoming Kanwar Mela in Haridwar is conducted smoothly and safely. The Kanwar Mela is due to begin on 30 July and continue till 11 August this year. The minister in charge of Haridwar district and Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj today held a review meeting with officials at the Mela Control Building in Haridwar.
On this occasion, he inspected the arrangements and assessed the progress of preparations. Transport Minister Pradeep Batra, Garhwal Commissioner Anand Swaroop, District Magistrate Mayur Dixit and SSP Navneet Singh Bhullar along with officials from various departments and public representatives were also present at the meeting.
The meeting discussed in detail the arrangements for the Kanwar Mela scheduled from 30 July to 11 August. The officials were directed to ensure timely readiness of electricity, drinking water, toilets, sanitation, medical facilities, traffic and security. The government estimates that more than four crore Kanwad pilgrims will arrive in Haridwar this year, and a budget of around Rs 21.5 crores has been sought for the mela. Maharaj said that better coordination among all the departments concerned be maintained to make the mela safe and orderly. He also stressed that the safety of devotees be accorded the highest priority for the administration. He announced that water ambulances would be deployed in the Ganga to provide immediate medical assistance in case of emergencies.
Maharaj also shared that adequate deployment of police and paramilitary forces will be ensured to maintain law and order and security. During the meeting, Maharaj instructed the officials to complete all the arrangements regarding the basic facilities well in advance and to avoid negligence at any level, stressing that the government’s endeavour was to provide devotees with a safe, smooth and convenient pilgrimage experience.
Transport Minister Pradeep Batra stated that for the first time a special traffic arrangement would be implemented on half of the highway during the mela. To ensure safe movement of Kanwar pilgrims, the highway would be cleared for their passage, with a regulated system for entry and exit on the same route. This arrangement, he claimed is expected to prevent traffic congestion in the city and facilitate uninterrupted travel for devotees. He added that the transport department, police and administration would jointly implement the traffic plan effectively, with continuous monitoring of all arrangements to ensure the Kanwar Yatra is peaceful, safe and successfully completed.
