Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], July 21 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday emphasized that the upcoming Kanwar Yatra must proceed smoothly and safely, ensuring that the religious journey causes no inconvenience to local residents.
Speaking to reporters here, CM Dhami said the state government is focusing on improving road connectivity and managing travel diversions across the region during the Kanwar Yatra from July 30 to August 11.
“We welcome them all here… We just want everyone to come peacefully… I want everyone to follow the rules of the pilgrimage. No one’s journey should cause inconvenience to others… The preparations for the Kanwar Yatra were also reviewed here. All departments and the district administration have made sure that the devotees receive a good welcome here, have a good journey, and return with water from here safely… We’ve also considered building separate toilets for women… Whatever work is to be done in the coming days, be it road connectivity or travel diversion, we will work seriously on them,” CM Dhami said
The Chief Minister highlighted that improved infrastructure for large footfalls will not only facilitate the devotees but also boost the local economy and create business opportunities
“The foundation stone of three projects of the Ganga Corridor has also been laid here… We are working with the vision of a big footfall coming here in the near future… While the devotees will get facilities, the local people will also get employment, business will increase, tourism will increase, and the economy will also grow…,” he said.
According to the Uttarakhand Department of Information and Public Relations, the state health department is making final preparations for the upcoming Kanwar Yatra 2026 to provide safe, convenient, and well-equipped healthcare services to devotees, including separate toilet facilities for women.
The health department will set up Medical Relief Posts (MRPs) along key pilgrimage routes and will be staffed 24/7 by doctors, nurses, and pharmacists and equipped with essential medicines and emergency vehicles. Additionally, emergency ambulances will be stationed at high-density areas such as bus terminals and railway stations, the department stated in its Instagram video today.
The Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage in which devotees of Lord Shiva, known as ‘Kanwariyas’, travel to sacred sites like Haridwar, Gaumukh, and Gangotri in Uttarakhand to collect holy water from the Ganga River. Carrying the water in containers called ‘kanwars’, pilgrims later perform the ‘Jalabhishek’ (sacred water offering) ceremony at Lord Shiva temples. (ANI)
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