Ahead of Kanwar Yatra the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to prohibit the sale and purchase of meat in the open anywhere on the Yatra route.

“Respecting the faith of the Kanwar devotees, there should be no sale and purchase of meat in the open anywhere on the Kanwar Yatra route.

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Cleanliness-sanitization should be maintained on the yatra route,” stated a release from the Uttar Pradesh government. Besides this, arrangements for drinking water would also be made along the route.

“In view of the scorching heat, arrangements for drinking water should also be made along the route. Wherever food camps are held, the team must check the quality of food items,” added the release.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reviewed the preparations being made by police commissioners, divisional commissioners, district magistrates and police captains with senior government-level officials on Tuesday regarding strong law and order and facilities for the devotees in view of the upcoming festivals and gave necessary guidelines in the larger public interest.
CM Yogi Adityanath said, “The holy month of Shravan is starting on 4 July. This year due to Adhimas, the month of Shravan is two months in duration. The festivals of Shravani Shivratri, Nagpanchami and Rakshabandhan will be celebrated during this period. The traditional Kanwar Yatra will take place in the month of Shravan. Monday worship also has special importance during this period. Before this, Bakrid will be celebrated on June 29. It is clear that this time is sensitive in terms of law and order. That’s why we have to be constantly alert and careful.”

CM Yogi further added, “Traffic was not affected due to religious activities during the month of Ramzan month and Eid this year. This effort has been appreciated across the country. This time on the occasion of Bakrid and Muharram also we will have to implement the same system. A dialogue should be held with the concerned religious leaders/intellectuals in this regard by the local administration. The place for the sacrifice on Bakrid should be marked in advance. There should be no sacrifice at disputed places. Sacrifice should not be made anywhere other than the designated places. In any case, make sure that no prohibited animal is sacrificed anywhere. There should be a systematic action plan for the systematic disposal of waste after sacrifice in every district. Otherwise, these wastes become the cause of disease.”

CM further said, “All necessary efforts should be made keeping in view the local needs so that every festival is celebrated with peace and harmony.

Deploying divers on the basis of past experiences, CCTVs should be installed on the Kanwar Yatra route. The places for setting up of Kanwar camps should be marked in advance so that traffic is not obstructed.”

CM also directed the administration to provide necessary facilities to the general public during festivals. “Respect religious traditions/faiths, but do not allow things that go against tradition. Allow organizers to hold programmes, but ensure that everyone follows the rules and regulations. There should be no display of weapons in religious processions. No incident that hurts the sentiments of people of other religions should be allowed to happen. Mischievous elements may try to unnecessarily provoke people of other communities, keep an eye on such matters.”

“Additional police force should be deployed in sensitive areas. The police force must do foot patrolling every day in the evening. Keep PRV 112 active. Chaotic elements should be dealt with strictly. Be it rural or urban areas, electricity supply should be kept smooth during festivals. There should be no complaints of unnecessary cuts from anywhere. It should be reviewed regularly.

Dilapidated electric poles, dangling electric wires etc. on the route of Kanwar Yatra should be managed well in time so that the devotees do not face any problems and no accident occurs,” CM added.

CM Yogi Adityanath directed the health emergency services to stay in alert mode. “The rainy season has started, so there should be adequate availability of anti-venom and anti-rabies injections in all the districts. Health posts should be set up at various places on the Kanwar Yatra route. The Transport Department should ensure that only vehicles that are safe should run on the road,” he said.

Last year in the month of Shravan, about one crore devotees got the benefit of Shrikashi Vishwanath darshan worship. About 6 to 7 lakh devotees visited the temple every Monday.

“Due to Adhimas this year, the duration of Shravan month is of two months. So, a further increase in the number of devotees is possible. There is a possibility of the arrival of devotees from all over the country in the month of Shravan. In Varanasi as well as in Ayodhya and Sitapur, prepare a systematic action plan in coordination with the local administration and temple administration. The management should be such that no devotee is inconvenienced,” he directed the officials.

“Senior officers posted at the police station, circle, district, range, zone, and mandal level should hold dialogue with religious leaders of their respective areas and other eminent people of the society. Issue a positive message to the people. Have a meeting of the Peace Committee. Take the cooperation of the media, so that an atmosphere of peace and harmony prevails,” he said.

Kanwar Yatra is an event of enthusiasm of faith. Traditionally dance, songs, and music have been a part of it. “Make sure that the sound of the DJ, song-music etc. is as per the prescribed standards. Prompt action and communication help in handling untoward incidents. Therefore, on the information of any untoward incident, the District Magistrate/Police Captain himself should rush to the spot. Lead senior officers in sensitive cases. Implement beat scheme. Illegal vehicle stands should be removed immediately. Implement an action plan for smooth traffic in all cities. The route of e-rickshaws should be decided in the cities. Charging stations should also be set up for these,” he instructed.

Incidents of illegal conversion have come to light in many parts of the country in recent times. “We are familiar with the incident of conversion of teenage children through online gaming/chatting apps in Ghaziabad. At one place, a deaf-mute child was induced for illegal conversion. As soon as the information was received, immediate action was taken and a big conspiracy could be exposed. It is very necessary to control such anti-social and anti-national incidents in time. A small carelessness today can become a big cancer in the future,” he said.

“The illegal conversions being carried out by a big international syndicate is confirmed. It is also important that the work of illegal conversion is being done serially by the syndicate by training the converted persons in the past. This syndicate keeps a special eye on disabled children and youth looking for jobs.

Financial inducements are also being given. This entire syndicate of illegal conversion needs to be wiped out. Every small piece of information related to this should be taken seriously in all the districts. Strict law against illegal conversion is in force in the state. Prompt action should be taken against every such activity,” he directed.

CM Yogi also said that keeping in view the changing nature of crime and criminals, cyber help desks should remain functional in every police station of every district. “The ‘Safe City Project’ is proving to be very useful in fulfilling the resolution of women’s safety, respect and self-reliance. Within the next three months, we will have to develop all 17 municipal corporations and Gautam Budh Nagar district headquarters as safe cities. In the next phase, all the urban bodies of all the district headquarters will be made safe cities. The security system of the cities has become smart with the Integrated Traffic Management System installed under the Smart City project. All cities should be developed as ‘safe cities’ while managing finances through convergence with inter-departmental coordination,” UP CM said.