Traffic restrictions have been enforced across Uttar Pradesh and Delhi as the annual Kanwar Yatra began on Thursday with the start of the Shravan month when Haridwar is expected to host more than four crore devotees during the pilgrimage.
Event Context
Every year, devotees of Lord Shiva travel hundreds of kilometres from different states to Haridwar and nearby places to collect water from the Ganga river.
Security was tightened across the national capital ahead of the Kanwar Yatra, with police personnel deployed at key locations.
In a traffic advisory issued on Thursday (July 30), Delhi Police said vehicle movement is likely to be affected on several roads in Delhi’s western range due to the movement of Kanwariyas and the setting up of Kanwar camps.
The affected roads include Najafgarh Firni Road, Rohtak Road, Pankha Road, Dev Prakash Shastri Marg, Nangloi-Najafgarh Road and the Outer Ring Road.
Phased traffic restrictions have been introduced across western Uttar Pradesh for the annual Kanwar Yatra, officials said earlier.
Around 25,000 police personnel have been deployed across the Meerut zone. Nearly 7,000 AI-enabled CCTV cameras, temporary police posts, barricades and integrated command centres have also been put in place in order to ensure the smooth conduct of the annual pilgrimage.
Team Analysis
Authorities have put in place medical facilities, CCTV surveillance and dedicated relief teams along the ghats for the pilgrimage. Liquor shops and non-vegetarian eateries have also been cleared from the route.
The traffic restrictions are likely to impact travel between Delhi, Haridwar, Dehradun and Saharanpur. Commuters may face longer travel times and increased bus and taxi fares due to the diversions.
In Ghaziabad, the commissionerate police have implemented a phased traffic diversion plan from July 29 to August 12. Heavy goods vehicles entering the city from Delhi have been barred since Wednesday morning and are being diverted through the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, the Ganga Expressway and the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, officials told news agency ANI.
In Bareilly district, the administration has made extensive arrangements for the pilgrimage. More than 3,900 police personnel have been deployed across the district to ensure the safety of devotees. The district has been divided into three super zones, nine zones, 28 sectors and 104 sub-sectors for security management.
Match Outlook
They then carry it back to Shiva temples in their towns and villages to perform ‘jalabhishek’ (ritual offering of water).
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Muzaffarnagar senior superintendent of police Sanjay Kumar said heavy vehicles will be barred from key routes from July 30. From August 4, all traffic will be prohibited on the Delhi-Haridwar National Highway and the Ganga canal road in the district, officials told ANI.
Under the diversion plan, vehicles travelling from Haridwar and Saharanpur towards Delhi will be routed through Deoband, Pachenda, Mirapur and Mawana in Meerut before entering the national capital. Vehicles returning from Delhi will follow the same route.
People travelling from Delhi to Haridwar and Dehradun can use the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, where Kanwariyas will be discouraged from travelling.
Ambulances and other emergency vehicles will be allowed to pass through restricted stretches under police escort, additional director-general of police (Meerut Zone) Bhanu Bhaskar said.
With inputs from agencies
