Meat sale likely to be banned on Kanwar Yatra routes in Uttar Pradesh

The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to prohibit the sale of meat in the open along the routes fixed for Kanwar Yatra, which will take place after a gap of two years.

Elaborate arrangements are being made for Kanwar Yatra, which is set to begin from July 14 and will continue for a fortnight.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to clear the roads taken by the Kanwar Yatris and to prohibit sale of meat in the open along them, besides making arrangements for lighting, sanitation and first-aid.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said, "All efforts are being made to ensure that Kanwar Yatra is held in a safe and peaceful manner across the state while adhering to the directions given by the chief minister."

The local, district and police administration are reaching out to meat traders to ensure this, officials said.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Bareilly, Satyarth Aniruddha Pankaj said, "We have reached out to the meat traders and asked them to ensure that no sale of meat takes place in the open. The traders have assured us of the same."

Superintendent of Police, Bijnor, Dinesh Singh said he has also made similar appeals to the meat traders who have assured that no sale of meat will take place along the route taken by the Kanwariyas.

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'Kanwariyas', devotees of Lord Shiva, travel to the banks of the river Ganga to fetch water which they carry to offer in temples at their homes or localities.

Senior officials said that the work to make arrangements for Kanwar Yatra is in full swing.

The officials are ironing out details, including arrangements for proper sanitation along the route, security arrangements and installation of CCTV cameras at important places.

Officials have also asked the business establishments and eateries along the routes to put up their menu with a rate list prominently to avoid any arguments with Kanwar Yatris over prices.

According to administrative officials, lakhs of devotees pass through Saharanpur, Shamli, Meerut, Ghaziabad and Baghpat districts of western Uttar Pradesh to reach Haridwar in Uttarakhand.

Kanwariyas from Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, western Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan take National Highway 58 to reach Uttarakhand. The highway passes through Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar and Meerut before reaching Haridwar via Roorkee (Uttarakhand).

Devotees from Delhi, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh also take the route via Saharanpur, Shamli and Baghpat districts. A large number of devotees from Moradabad and Bareilly reach Haridwar via Bijnor and Amroha.

The yatra was not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Since the yatra did not take place in the last two years, officials are expecting an increase in the number of Kanwar Yatris this time. Officials have been asked to keep this thing in mind while making arrangements

A senior official added that no one would be allowed to display weapons in the religious procession and Kanwar Yatris would be allowed to play devotional songs on music systems while keeping the volume within permissible limits.

The police administration has also identified sensitive areas where additional force will be deployed during the yatra.