Dehradun district magistrate Ravinath Raman has directed chief education officer on Friday to ensure that all the schools in Rishikesh and Raiwala are closed for two days-July 30 (Saturday) and August 1 (Monday) in view of the Kanwariya mela now going on in Haridwar and some parts of Dehradun district.
The Kanwarias from across many States like Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Himachal, Haryana and Punjab are swarming into Haridwar in their thousands to take holy dip and fetch Gangajal to pour on the Shivlingas in their rspecttive localities.
DM Raman has also directed the district police officers to deploy adequate police forces at the temples and also the Kanwar Mela routes to maintain peace and order in the district. Notably, the footfalls of the pilgrims are expected to exceed last year’s figures. The figure is likely to cross 2.5 crore this year, according to the officials in charge of the mela. Furthermore, Dehradun SSP Sadanand Date has directed the police officers to ensure that adequate police forces are deployed along Kanwar Mela routes to keep order on the roads.
Moreover, the district police officials have been directed to ensure that the pilgrims are not be allowed to carry DJ (Disk Jockey), loudspeakers and hockey sticks in view of the law and order volatility of the district.
DM Raman further said that the education officers had been directed to strictly implement the order in all the Government and private schools located across Raiwala and Rishikesh areas. Action will be taken against the schools authorities if they are found defying the order, he added.
SSP Date said they are extra cautious this year in view of the figures of the pilgrims’ footfalls soaring substantially as compared to those of the last few years. “We are happy that guidelines released by the state police in the inter-state council meeting meant for holding the mela peacefully in the district, are being adhered to in full. However, we are leaving nothing to chance as far as peace is concerned,” he said.
Traffic police have also been directed to deploy their personnel at crowded places to help both the Kanwariyas and the local commuters during Kanwar Mela, he added.