E-Paper
Haridwar Mahakumbh 2021: First holy bath on March 11 amid strict Covid-19 norms
The second Shahi Snan is on April 12, the third on April 14 and the fourth on April 27.
The first Shahi Snan or holy bath Of Mahakumbh 2021 at Haridwar will be held on March 11, Thursday, on the occasion of Maha Shivratri. This will be one of the massive congregations of devotees during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Preparations have been made to ensure adherence to Covid-19 appropriate behaviour. The mela, which will be a one-month affair this time owing to Covid-19, spans over Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal and Dehradun. All hotels, restaurants, ghats in this area will have to follow Mahakumbh SOP.
Here is all you need to know:
> Negative RT-PCR test report is mandatory for all those who will be attending the congregation.
> Online registration is to be done at https://dsclservices.org.in/kumbh/. After their documents are validated, they are issued e-passes.
> There will be constant sanitising of the ghats and changing rooms.
> Pilgrims found violating Covid-19 SOPs will be prosecuted.
> A centralised control room has been set up at Haridwar railway station which is monitoring CCTV feed from all nearby railway stations.
> A state-of-the-art 150-bed hospital has been established at Pawan Dham Bhupatwala for the devotees.
> The second Shahi Snan is on April 12, the third on April 14 and the fourth on April 27.
> Devotees will be allowed a bath for a maximum of 20 minutes.
> People belonging to high-risk groups have been discouraged from the holy dip.
> The Indian Railways said 12 pairs of Kumbh Mela Specials, which are in addition to the existing Haridwar-bound trains are being operated. Apart from these 12, there are other 15 pairs of trains operating to Haridwar.
In February, the Uttarakhand government made vaccination for officials who will be on duty of Kumbh mandatory.
