UP: Supreme Court notice to the government on allowing Kanwar Yatra

Ground Report | New Delhi: UP: Supreme Court; The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government on its decision to allow the Kanwar Yatra amid the Corona epidemic, seeking its response.

Taking suo motu cognizance of the matter, a bench headed by Justice Rohinton F Nariman has said that the matter will be heard on Friday, July 16.

The Yogi Adityanath government on Tuesday, following the covid guidelines, gave permission to take out the Kanwar Yatra in the state from July 25.

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A few hours later, the Uttarakhand government cancelled the Kanwar Yatra this year also keeping in mind the possibility of a third wave of corona.

This year, the Uttarakhand government had to face severe criticism for its decision to continue the Maha Kumbh, after which the second wave of Corona created an outcry in many states of the country.

The Uttarakhand government has cancelled the Kanwar Yatra, the UP government has decided to take it forward with the Covid security protocol. 

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the officials to ensure that only a small number of people participate in the Kanwar Yatra this year and that COVID protocols, especially social distancing, should be strictly followed.

State government spokesperson said RT-PCR test report may be made mandatory for pilgrims if required.

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Kanwar Yatra is scheduled to start from July 25 this year. In this Kanwar Yatra, devotees go to Uttarakhand, Haridwar and other parts of the country to bring holy Ganges water from the Ganges River.

Lakhs of devotees in the form of Kanwariyas from the northern states travel on foot to Haridwar to collect water from the Ganges and then offer that Ganges water to Shiva temples.

In view of the epidemic, CM Yogi has instructed that at least only people should participate in this Kanwar Yatra and for this, Kanwar Sanghas should be requested. He had also said that necessary guidelines should be issued for travel after talking to neighboring states.

The Chief Minister asked the officials to pay special attention to cleanliness and proper lighting in all Shiva temples, pagodas and yatra routes.

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