Guidelines for Kanwar Yatra issued, but Delhi residents remain sceptical
The measures the camps have been asked to follow include a ban on playing music past 10pm every night, a limit on how loud the music can be, and a strict no encroachment of space on roads meant for movement of traffic.
Keeping in mind the harrowing experiences of motorists and residents across Delhi due to the flouting of norms and widespread disturbance caused by participants of the annual Kanwar Yatra pilgrimage in the city, especially the loud music played late into the night, Delhi Police on Thursday issued a string of advisories to organisers of Kanwar camps in order to curtail the chaos for residents.
The measures the camps have been asked to follow include a ban on playing music past 10pm every night, a limit on how loud the music can be, and a strict no encroachment of space on roads meant for movement of traffic.
To be sure, such measures are in place every year, but are generally widely flouted by the kanwariyas – the devotees participating in the yatra.
Residents and members of city’s resident welfare associations (RWAs), especially those living around the routes of the Kanwar Yatra, however, remain sceptical about the advisory leading to any on-the-ground change, and insist that the plans of police officials will yet again remain only on paper.
They blame the city police and other authorities for turning a blind eye every year as unruly groups of people create widespread commotion across the city in the guise of Kanwar Yatra and said that loud music and giant boom boxes installed on trucks playing songs at deafening levels throughout the night has become a routine annual affair, and the inability of authorities to contain the menace has only emboldened those breaking the law.
Primarily, there are eight routes through which the Kanwar Yatra will pass through the city. The main route is entry from the Apsara border leading to Seelampur flyover, Kashmere Gate, Rani Jhansi Road, Upper Ridge Road, Dhaula Kuan, and exit from Rajokari border in Haryana. The other route is the Bhopura border through which Kanwariyas will enter Delhi and via Outer Ring Road they will exit either from the Tikri border or Singhu border for Haryana. The Maharajpur and Ghazipur borders are the other two key routes in east Delhi while Kanwariyas will also pass through Kalindi Kunj and Badarpur borders.
“They play loud music during day and night during their yatra, disturbing the peace of residents, especially senior citizens, children, and those suffering from serious ailments. This is an annual problem. We made several complaints in the past, but it seems authorities are totally unable to control the situation,” said Vinod Nair, RWA president of pocket D SFS flats, Mayur Vihar Phase 3.
Lalta Prasad Shrivastava, RWA president of Priyadarshini Apartments in IP Extension (Patparganj), also said that loud music, traffic woes become the new normal for those who live along the Delhi-Meerut Expressway – one of the main routes used by devotees from Haryana and Rajasthan.
“The problem is increasing every passing year, but the authorities have no solutions. Many residents from our society have complained, and we took the matter up with the police. As nothing was done to address the nuisance, we have now even stopped complaining,” added Shrivastava.
Senior police officers, however, insist that they take preventive measures and issue advisories to the organisers of the Kanwar camps, asking them to abide by rules prescribed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and other agencies regarding the noise pollution.
“We held meetings with many organisers of the Kanwar camps in east Delhi and asked them to play music in their pandals at permissible limits and that no such instruments be used after 10pm. They have been warned that legal action will be taken against them if they are found violating norms,” said deputy commissioner of police (east) Apoorva Gupta.
Police, however, have not formed any central control room or common complaint number to lodge grievances borne from the event.
The challenge, they said, comes as it is relatively easy to keep an eye on their activities at pre-designated camps, but it becomes impossible to regulate the actions of thousands of kanwariyas on the long route they take with trucks and carts of blaring music through the city.
The officer, who did not wish to be identified, said they turn aggressive and easily resort to violence, when they are stopped and asked to follow rules.
“Such groups should be stopped by their respective state police in the first place. Once they enter Delhi, it becomes difficult for us to contain them. If we try to seize their boom boxes or their vehicles, there have been many instances when they became violent and start blocking the traffic and damaging other vehicles,” said a senior police officer, who asked not to be named.
On the noise pollution issue during the Kanwar Yatra, an official from the Uttar Pradesh administration said, “We will enforce the guidelines and directions of the courts.”
Shiv Mehra, Maharani Bagh RWA president, said, “We request their cooperation in minimising noise pollution by using musical instruments and loudspeakers sparingly and respectfully. They (devotees) should adhere to traffic rules and follow traffic signals and signs for their and other’s safety. They should also be sensitive to the neighbourhoods, and respect the peace and quiet of residential areas, especially during night.”
Arrangements in place
The Kanwar Yatra is carried out during the Hindu calendar month of Shravan. Thousands of pilgrims mostly from Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh move towards Haridwar to fetch holy Ganga water and return to their hometowns, where they offer the water to Lord Shiva. This year, the annual pilgrimage will start on July 22, and it will continue till August 2.
As more than two million devotees are expected to participate in the religious processions this year. Vehicular movement in Delhi, especially in eastern, central, northern, southern and southwestern parts, generally gets disrupted for around two weeks as the devotees cross the city.
Senior police officers said that they have prepared elaborate security and traffic plans for the annual event so that they minimise the inconvenience to the general public. Nearly 5,000 security and traffic personnel will be deployed on the Kanwar Yatra routes and camps.
Since the UP administration has announced that like last year, the main carriageways of Delhi-Meerut Expressway have been dedicated for the Kanwar Yatra, Delhi Police officers said that it may cause widespread chaos, especially in emergency situations.
“Between Ghazipur border and Sarai Kale Khan, there is no exit from the main carriageways of the expressway. In case of any untoward situation, evacuating the kanwariyas and removing their vehicles will become a major problem,” said an officer, who asked not to be named.
Virendra Kumar Singh, additional DCP (traffic), Ghaziabad, said that the Delhi-Meerut Expressway will be open for Kanwariya movement from (Kashi) toll plaza near Partapur, Meerut and then towards Ghaziabad and Delhi.
“Similar arrangement was in place last year too. The NH-9 lanes in Ghaziabad will be used as a diversion stretch for local and long-distance vehicles as per the diversion plan. If we allow Kanwariyas on NH-9 our diversion plans will suffer largely. So, the expressway will be used tentatively from July 27 onwards for Kanwariya movement,” added Singh.