Haridwar: Schools to remain shut from July 20 to July 26

The District Magistrate of Uttarakhand's Haridwar has declared a six-day holiday in schools due to the Kanwar Yatra.

Due to an increase in Kanwar Yatra devotees this year, the Haridwar District Magistrate (DM), Vijay Shankar has declared a holiday in schools of Haridwar. All schools, Anganwadi centres, and madrasas in Haridwar will remain closed from July 20 onwards, for six days, due to the Kanwar Yatra 2022.

Kanwar Yatra 2022 which started on July 14, witnessed an increase in devotees. The annual pilgrimage event for Lord Shivas devotees is taking place after two years, as restrictions were imposed on it due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Uttarakhand CM, Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that they are expecting at least 5 crore pilgrims during the month of Shravan for the Kanwar Yatra, as reported by Times Now.

The decision to close the schools has been taken for the safety of kids.

DM orders police to get Kanwariyas registered

The DM has also ordered the police to get the Kanwariyas registered. The Kanwariyas (pilgrims) visit places like Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch the holy water of River Ganga. They then worship Lord Shiva with the same water.

Uttarakhand administration has announced that pilgrims with swords, tridents and other such harmful objects will not be allowed and around 10,000 security personnel along with drones and CCTV cameras will be deployed for the Kanwar yatra.

This year Sawan started on July 14 and will end on August 12. Four Mondays fall during this period- July 18, July 25, August 1, and August 8.

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