The city of Haridwar was drenched in religious spirit with the start of Kanwad Mela on Wednesday. The Kanwadias have started reaching Haridwar to fetch holy water from Ganga and offer it in Shiva temples in their hometown. The Mela area is divided into 12 super zones, 31 zones and 133 sectors with 10,000 police, PAC and paramilitary personnel deployed for smooth conduct of the fair but Kanwadias trod on bad roads dotted with potholes and puddles.
The fortnight long festival brings pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and other states. According to the police three crore Kanwadias are expected to arrive this year.
“We are doing the road repairs side by side on the national highway and Kanwad Patri route,” said the PWD executive engineer DM Choudhary. However the locals opine that the quality of the road repairs is inferior. One of the commuters near Premnagar Ashram Chowk which connects to highway said, “They are using just sand and gravel for patch works. Without enough binding material, the repairs won’t last long. Light rain creates cracks in the road and it is not fit for the commuters to walk on.”
Even the crowd management becomes tough with vehicle users trying to dodge the puddles on the road. “Temporary parking facilities have been made at Rishikul, Hari Ram Arya Inter College- Kankhal, Motichoor and Chandighat. Temporary bus stand is made at Gauri Shankar Dweep area near Har Ki Paidi,” said SSP Janmejay Khanduri.