Kanwariyas welcomed in Haridwar with floral shower from chopper in CM’s presence
Garhwal Post Bureau
Haridwar, 4 Aug: The holy city of Haridwar today witnessed a remarkable confluence of faith, service and culture during the Kanwar Yatra as Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami led Uttarakhand in extending a warm welcome to Shiva devotees arriving from across the country. The State government also organised a special programme that combined reverence for the pilgrims with a message of safe, orderly and successful conduct of the Yatra.
On the CM’s arrival in Haridwar, floral showers were offered from a helicopter along the Kanwar route from Har-ki-Pauri to greet the Kanwariyas. At a grand ceremony held in the Alaknanda Hotel premises here today, Dhami performed ceremonial washing of the feet of five Kanwar pilgrims as a mark of respect. He also inaugurated the CM’s Health Service Camp set up to provide medical assistance and facilities to the pilgrims, inspected the arrangements and reviewed the availability of immediate treatment, medicines and other health services.
Dhami also personally served food to the devotees and said the government is committed to ensuring that every pilgrim visiting Devbhoomi received a safe, smooth and dignified environment. He described the Kanwar Yatra as not merely a religious event but a vast festival of Sanatan tradition, social harmony and spiritual awakening, and stressed that the State government is working continuously with all the departments in coordination for its successful organisation.
Dhami recalled that, for the past five years, he had been joining the Kanwar Yatra to serve the devotees and said that the name of Lord Shiva was the foundation of faith, energy and trust for crores of people. He noted that, despite hardships, devotees undertake journeys of hundreds of kilometres chanting “Bam-Bam Bhole” and that the Yatra symbolises discipline, service, dedication and social unity. He shared that this year, more than one crore pilgrims had already carried Ganga water successfully to their destinations.
The CM emphasised that, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, extensive work is being carried out for the preservation and development of cultural heritage and spiritual sites. Projects such as Kashi Vishwanath Dham, Mahakal Lok, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, Kedarnath reconstruction and the Badrinath master plan are giving Indian culture a new global identity. Referring to the 2013 Kedarnath disaster, he said that under Modi’s guidance the shrine has been rebuilt into a grand and divine form with facilities including the Aastha Path, Saraswati Ghat, Adi Shankaracharya’s statue and accommodation for priests. He added that the proposed Ganga Corridor in Haridwar and Sharda Corridor would provide new direction to development and religious tourism in the State.
Dhami also emphasised that the safety of pilgrims is the highest priority during the Yatra, with CCTV cameras, drone surveillance, ambulance services, health camps and emergency assistance having been ensured along the routes. He appealed to the devotees to maintain discipline, dignity and adherence to religious traditions during the journey. He praised the collective efforts of the police, the administration, the health department, environment workers, sanitation staff, voluntary organisations and other service personnel, saying that their cooperation made the vast event successful.
On this occasion, the CM also honoured five police personnel and five environment workers for their commendable services, stating that the recognition symbolised the State’s gratitude to all those who worked tirelessly to maintain security, cleanliness, health services and other arrangements during the Yatra.
Among those present on this occasion were Mahamandaleshwar Lalitanand Giri Maharaj, Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik, Pradeep Batra, Ram Singh Kaida, District Panchayat Chairperson Kiran Chaudhary, Ranipur MLA Adesh Chauhan, Haridwar Mayor Kiran Jaisal, Roorkee Mayor Anita Agrawal, former Cabinet Minister Swami Yatishwaranand, BJP District President Ashutosh Sharma, former MLA Sanjay Gupta, State Minister Deshraj Karnwal, Dinesh Kaushik, Dr Jaipal Singh Chauhan, Shyamvir Saini, Shobharam Prajapati, Nitin Gautam, Shivalik Nagar Municipality Chairperson Rajiv Sharma, Ganga Sabha General Secretary Tanmay Vashisth, BJP Yuva Morcha State Vice-President Vikram Bhullar, former Mayor Manoj Garg, Garhwal Commissioner Anand Swaroop, Mela Adhikari Sonika, IG Garhwal Rajiv Swaroop, IG (Kumbh Mela) Yogendra Singh Rawat, District Magistrate Mayur Dixit, SSP Navneet Singh Bhullar, SSP (Kumbh Mela) Ayush Agrawal, Municipal Commissioner Nandan Kumar, Chief Development Officer Dr Lalit Narayan Mishra, SP (Traffic) Nisha Yadav, Additional District Magistrate Jitendra Kumar, SP City Abhay Pratap Singh and HRDA Secretary Pratyush Singh. The programme was conducted by Additional Mela Adhikari Dayanand Saraswati.
