Kanwars (bamboo poles with water containers) exceeding the permissible height limit of 13 feet were being returned by the Uttarakhand police at various entry points along the Uttar Pradesh border during the ongoing Shravan Kanwar Mela, officers said.
Police said that before the commencement of the annual pilgrimage on July 30, the administration had announced that Kanwars exceeding the height limit would not be allowed to enter the state. Security personnel, along with central paramilitary forces, have been deployed at checkpoints to strictly enforce the directive.
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According to the administration, teams stationed at the border are inspecting vehicle-borne Kanwars to ensure compliance with safety norms. “We are quite clear in this regard that decorated Kanwars should remain within the permissible height limits of 13 feet. The restrictions are necessary for the safety of both Kanwariyas and passers-by and also for the proper management of traffic and the pilgrimage. On Sunday, 12 vehicle-borne Kanwars that were above the permissible height were sent back from the Narsan border,” senior superintendent of police Navneet Singh Bhullar said.
Also read: Kanwariyas run rampant amid a lack of enforcement in Delhi
NHAI officials booked
{{/usCountry}}Also read: Kanwariyas run rampant amid a lack of enforcement in Delhi
NHAI officials booked
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the state police said a case has been registered against officials associated with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) over alleged negligence, a day after two Kanwariyas were killed when iron girders collapsed on them beneath an under-construction flyover in Haridwar.
Bahadrabad police station in-charge Amarjeet Singh said: “Following complaints by the families of the deceased, a case has been registered against the concerned NHAI officials. Further investigation is being carried out to ascertain the circumstances that led to the incident.”