Schools in Haridwar, India, will be closed for a week from July 27th to August 2nd due to the ongoing Kanwar Yatra. The decision was made by the District Magistrate, Dhiraj Singh Garbiyal, citing the large number of Shiv devotees expected to visit the pilgrimage city. The closure applies to all schools from class 1 to 12, including government, non-government, and Anganwadi centres. The Kanwar Yatra, a significant Hindu pilgrimage, sees devotees from states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana travel to collect waters of the holy Ganga river in Haridwar and Rishikesh.
The decision to close schools was made in anticipation of the increased crowds expected in the coming days. The Kanwar Yatra, which began on Monday, has already seen a substantial influx of devotees. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami welcomed the Kanwariyas and appealed to them to keep the Ganga clean. He urged them to cooperate with authorities to maintain law and order and ensure the cleanliness of the river.
The Director General of Police (DGP), Abhinav Kumar, highlighted the challenges of managing the Kanwar Mela, a large-scale religious gathering. The event area has been divided into 13 super zones, 31 zones, and 126 sectors to ensure effective crowd control and security measures.
On Monday, the Supreme Court intervened in matters related to the Kanwar Yatra. It issued an interim stay on directives issued by certain state governments that required eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners outside their shops. The Supreme Court issued notices to Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh, where the Kanwar Yatra takes place, and scheduled the matter for hearing on July 26th.
