DEHRADUN: With Kanwar Yatra on hold, the Uttarakhand government is planning to transport Gangajal in tankers to other states such as Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar to ensure that yatris do not miss the annual pilgrimage and are able to perform the rituals without travelling to Haridwar.
The state government had on June 30 issued orders cancelling the yatra in view of the Covid-19 situation, but has been requested by its Uttar Pradesh counterpart to reconsider the decision.
“In case, the yatra is not permitted due to recent strict stance of the high court on religious gatherings, the Uttarakhand government is planning to transport Gangajal in tankers to the states from where maximum number of pilgrims arrives. The final decision on the yatra will be taken soon. If it is permitted, then it will be with restrictions,” said a state government official.
The state government had cancelled the yatra last year, too, in the wake of the pandemic which hit religious tourism in Haridwar the hardest after Char Dham Yatra. However, the Yatra was allowed from June 2020 for state residents and for residents of other states, too, since last month giving some respite to the sector. Maximum Kanwar yatris come to Haridwar from the states of Delhi, UP, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and MP. In 2019, over 3.5 crore devotees had visited Haridwar in the auspicious month of Saawan.