Delhi home minister reviews preparations ahead of Kanwar Yatra

Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood reviewed Kanwar Yatra preparations, ensuring safety and convenience for pilgrims with a single-window system for support.

Delhi home minister Ashish Sood on Thursday held a meeting to review preparations for the Kanwar Yatra that begins next month.

The meeting on Thursday. (HT Photo)

Sood said that Kanwar organising committees will be provided with all necessary administrative support at a single window system.

“A single-window system will be set up at the district magistrate offices to facilitate approvals and permissions from various departments in a streamlined manner. The safety, service, and convenience of hundreds of thousands of devotees entering Delhi during the yatra will be a top priority,” he added.

The Kanwar Yatra is a religious tradition where millions of devotees collect water from the Ganga at Haridwar, Gangotri and other sacred places to offer at Shiva temples in the month of Savan. Every year, thousands of kanwars pass through Delhi en route to other states.

Sood said all departments have been directed to ensure that pilgrims face no inconvenience on their designated routes. “Arrangements related to sanitation, drinking water, uninterrupted electricity supply, and traffic management will be made in a timely, coordinated, and effective manner. We have instructed power department officials to ensure that any issues related to electricity disruptions or leakage risks during rains are addressed promptly during the Yatra days,” he added.

Sood also directed police to monitor sound systems in camps located near residential areas and ensure that devotional songs played over loudspeakers are limited to permitted hours to avoid disturbing local residents. Police personnel have been asked to politely request pilgrims to avoid playing loud music late at night. Coordination with police forces of neighbouring states has also been advised to ensure the safety and welfare of pilgrims. The Delhi Fire Services has been asked to prepare a plan for deploying small fire tenders near Kanwar camps to respond quickly in case of fire-related emergencies and prevent any mishaps.