For the smooth and secure conduct of Kanwad Mela 2019, the 15th Inter State and Inter Agencies Co-ordination meeting was held in Dehradun on Tuesday. With representatives from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, railway security forces, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), key decisions were taken regarding parking facilities, crowd management, inter-state coordination and traffic management.
Director General of Police (DGP) Anil K Raturi said, “Taking lessons from the past mistakes we have done our professional preparation for this year. About 36 per cent of the total Kanwadias hail from Haryana and nearly 30 to 32 per cent from Western Uttar Pradesh. We have asked the inspector generals of respective states to speak with the local representatives from the home areas of the Kanwadias and conduct awareness programme regarding the route plan and other necessary do’s and don’ts to avoid inconvenience.”
When asked about the main purpose of the meet he said, “The main reason was preparation for Kanwad Mela. Other than that we have shared data regarding the wanted criminals and other information, so that if there is any such case of human trafficking, child beggars found from outer states, unknown dead bodies, we can have better coordination with other states.”
He further added, “Unlike any other religious fair, Kanwad Mela mainly consists of youngsters who are full of enthusiasm. They come in large numbers for a short period of time. This time is especially a challenge for Uttarakhand police in order to maintain law and order in terms of traffic related issues, accidents, communal situations and internal security.”
Regarding the use of DJs and customised vehicles he said, “Customised (Jugaad) vehicles are banned, their use will not be permitted. For the use of DJs, there are guidelines issued by Supreme Court of India and we will be enforcing it accordingly. Kanwad shall not be of more than seven feet and the persons carrying them must carry their identification cards.”
In the meeting, it was decided that the states sharing borders with Uttarakhand will be conducting joint checking at inter-state boundaries. Strict actions will be taken for the prevention on the usage of counterfeit currency.