Decision on Kanwar Yatra after consultation with neighbouring states: Uttarakhand CM
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that a decision on the Kanwar yatra will be taken in a day or two after consultation with the governments of neighbouring states -- Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
"Kanwar Yatra is not a one-state affair. We will discuss the issue with other states, including Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh. Decision will be taken after the meet," he said.
Kanwar Yatra was suspended last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"A decision on Kanwar Yatra is likely in a day or two," Dhami said, adding that the government is also making efforts to "somehow begin the Char Dham Yatra".
According to a PTI report, an inter-state coordination meeting of police officials recently suggested that the Kanwar Yatra should remain suspended for the time being in view of a possible third wave of COVID-19.
Kanwar Yatra, which begins in late July with the onset of Shrawan and goes on till early August covering a period of nearly a fortnight, sees a huge gathering of Shiva devotees on the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar mainly from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to collect its holy waters for "Jalabhishek" in Shiva temples.
Permitting the yatra in the time of the pandemic is fraught with risks.
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