Uttarakhand suspends Kanwar Mela in wake of COVID-19

Earlier, Haridwar District Magistrate C Ravishankar said that Kanwariyas who enter Haridwar defying the ban on the annual Kanwar Yatra will have to serve a 14-days quarantine at their own expenses.

The annual yatra, which sees a huge congregation of Kanwariyas in Haridwar to collect the holy Ganga water, was cancelled this year in view of the Coronavirus pandemic. District Administration is maintaining strict vigil in order to prevent entry of Kanwariyas into the city.

The month of Sawan, in the Hindu calendar, is of huge significance to devotees of Lord Shiva who go on Kanwar Yatra to Haridwar every year. But this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Uttarakhand Government has said, Kanwar Yatra will not be possible and Ganga water will be taken from Har ki Pauri and sent to all states for the devotees of Shiva.