Uttarakhand police have warned that kanwariyas found entering the state illegally into the state will be put under paid quarantine to deter them from coming to Haridwar for the kanwar pilgrimage.
This year’s pilgrimage was cancelled after consultation among the governments of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Only those pass holders heading to Haridwar for immersing ashes in post-cremation rituals are being allowed at Har-Ki-Pauri in Haridwar with police pickets put up at 1 km periphery of Har-Ki-Pauri with barricades at ten spots. One platoon of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) has also been deployed at Har-Ki-Pauri.
Haridwar’s Senior Superintendent of Police D Senthy Aboodai Krishan Raj S said that adequate security forces have been deployed at the interstate border check posts, Har-Ki-Pauri and other sensitive points. He added that local devotees are only allowed to offer Ganga water at temples amidst strict adhering to social distancing norms and wearing masks.
“To ensure smooth management, we have deployed police personnel at prominent temples”, he said.
Interstate border with Uttar Pradesh has been sealed from Sunday night with the deployment of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) at border stretches of Lakshar’s Balawali village bordering Bijnore district and Badivala which falls on the border of Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh.
Similarly other borders posts of Mandavar in Bhagwanpur block and Narsain in Mangalore have also been put under PAC cover with additional deployment of state police.
Station house officer Khanpur PD Bhatt said round the clock monitoring is being done at both Balawali and Badiwali posts as they fall near Uttar Pradesh’s bordering districts.
At Jhabreda, the border post at Gokalpur and Kharkhadi, Uttarakhand police is allowing only valid pass holders to enter the state.
Meanwhile, half a dozen police teams have headed for Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Haryana to disseminate information about cancellation of this year’s kanwar yatra.
“These police teams are being sent to neighboring states aided with hoardings, pamphlets, flex and dossiers to ensure they generate awareness about the cancellation of this year’s Kanwar yatra and fair. In case any kanwariya illegally arrives in Haridwar, he or she will be put under paid quarantine. Intense drive on the border check posts is being carried out to ensure no Kanwariya enters the hill state,” Haridwar’s Superintendent of City Police Kamlesh Upadhyay said.
The border with Uttar Pradesh has been sealed from Sunday night and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel have been deployed on the interstate border, said police.
Last year 3.60 crore kanwariyas had travelled from Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh to Haridwar to fetch sacred Ganga water.
