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UP govt gives nod to organise Kartik Mela in Garhmukteshwar
The fair, which was cancelled last year due to the corona surge, will be organised on the riverbank from November 9 to 21 with the main Ganga Snan on November 18
MEERUT The district administration has started preparations for the Kartik Mela in Garhmukteshwar tehsil of UP’s Hapur district following the state government’s approval to organise the fair this year with all Covid protocols.
The fair, which was cancelled last year due to the corona surge, will be organised on the riverbank from November 9 to 21 with the main Ganga Snan on November 18. Being a historic mela associated with the Mahabharat, lakhs of devotees from western UP and other parts of the country arrive here to take a dip in the Ganga. The mela is organised every year after Diwali.
A tweet by the state’s home department shared that chief minister Yogi Adityanath had given approval to celebrate Kartik Mela at Garhmukteshwar in a grand way.
Reviewing the preparations, district magistrate (Hapur) Anuj Singh convened a meeting with chief development officer Uday Singh, additional district magistrate Shraddha Shandilyayan and other officials on Wednesday. He directed officials to deploy a drone at the mela site to keep close vigil on the people’s activities and ensure their safety.
He also directed officials to set up a Covid testing centre and a temporary hospital and ensure cleanliness, adequate barricading, illumination, sufficient boats, watch tower and round-the-clock availability of trained life guards and divers at the site.
During the fair, the bank of Ganga turns into a “city of tents” as people from villages arrive with family and stay here in makeshift tents. They enjoy folk songs by various artistes along with different village sports like kabaddi, wrestling, kho-kho etc.
The mela is also famous for its animal fair, which was once the biggest animal fair in Asia.
President of Prajapati Samaj Kalyan Yuva Samiti Bhagwan Singh and general secretary Sriram handed over a charter of demands to the district administration and sough adequate facilities for the animal fair.
