In UP, apprehension over yatra go-ahead
Uttar Pradesh said on Wednesday that it was not inclined to cancel the kanwar yatra because it was a matter of faith, but officials and stakeholders across the state said they faced uphill challenges to stop overcrowding at riverbanks and enforce Covid protocols during the fortnight-long pilgrimage.
The yatra -- where Shiva devotees fetch water from the Ganga to their village shrines – will begin from July 25 despite Uttarakhand, which hosts the yatra’s destination, Haridwar, scrapping the event over fears of a surge in Covid infections.
“We are in touch with the Uttarakhand government and will coordinate for the yatra. We are also getting in touch with kanwar sanghs (associations) to minimise the number of kanwariyas and ensure Covid-19 protocol is followed,” said UP chief secretary RK Tiwari. “This is an issue of faith.”
But district and law enforcement officials said getting hundreds of thousands of devotees to follow social distancing, masking and undergo Covid tests – the government has hinted it might make negative RT-PCR reports mandatory for pilgrims – might be difficult. Experts also pointed out that any violations might trigger a fresh surge in infections, holding up the example of the Mahakumbh in April that seeded clusters of cases across north India.
A senior police official in east UP said it would be almost impossible to carry out and check RT-PCR reports of each pilgrim as kanwariyas come from different villages. He said restricting any devotee might also trigger confrontation. “It is not possible to keep watch on them on all through the journey when several thousands of them will be walking night and day. We can put up barricading, police pickets and patrolling parties on certain points and identified routes,” he said on condition of anonymity.
A senior official in west UP said crowds are likely to gather at places where the Ganga flows through in the state as Uttarakhand has banned the pilgrimage.
“There is a fear that pilgrims may get involved in confrontation when they are not allowed to enter Uttarakhand…there are also chances that kanwariyas from other states could turn towards UP after Uttarakhand’s complete ban,” added the official on condition of anonymity. Roughly 36 million devotees had visited Haridwar for the yatra in 2019, the last year it was held.
Experts underlined the risks of holding the yatra during a pandemic. “Lakhs of devotees from rural and urban areas participate in the yatra and they mingle with one another. Under such circumstances, it could lead to a third wave,” said Dr Tanuraj Sirohi, former president of Indian Medical Association’s Meerut unit.
Even some devotees appeared worried. “Lakhs of devotees participate in the yatra...even 20% of them would form a big crowd and act as super spreaders,” said Jagmohan Shakal, a part of Om Seva Samiti that organises kanwar camps for over two decades.
Jaipal Rajput, an office-bearer of the Hindu Seva Manch in Shahjahanpur district, said he had no plans of joining the yatra this year. “We are worried about the third wave of Covid-19. What will I say to people if I take them on the yatra and they fall sick due to Covid-19?” asked Rajput who lost three relatives during this year due to Covid.
The state government, however, said it was going to take all precautions to prevent infections during the yatra.
The development came a day after Uttarakhand cancelled the yatra, heeding warnings that millions of devotees thronging the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar could spark a devastating third wave of Covid cases. It also turned down a request by Uttar Pradesh, which goes to the polls in 2022.
Meerut district magistrate K Balaji said, “We would act as per the directions of the state government.” Meerut divisional commissioner Surendra Singh held a meeting with officials on Tuesday and instructed them to establish kanwar Covid helpdesks equipped with sanitisers, thermal screening and Covid-19 test facility near temples and on the yatra route. He also asked for the availability of lifesaving drugs, ambulances and beds in hospitals. “We would follow the directions received from the state government,” said Singh.
In Varanasi, a senior official of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Special Area Development board said that the preparations for the yatra were already made and all Covid-19 protocols will be followed. Thermal scanning of devotees will be done at the entrance of the temple premises, he said, adding that sanitizing and masks will be made mandatory.