At Kumbh, faith will beat Covid fear: CM
Experts, Congress say easing of curbs amid virus surge will spell health risks
HARIDWAR/DEHRADUN: Assuring devotees of removing all “unnecessary” restrictions for Haridwar Mahakumbh, chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat said on Saturday that the “faith of devotees will overcome the fear of Covid-19” in the mega event that will start from April 1, a statement that drew flak from experts and the Opposition who cited the recent surge in coronavirus infections.
“I invite all devotees across world to come to Haridwar and take holy dip in the Ganga during Mahakumbh. Nobody will be stopped in the name of Covid-19, as we are sure the faith in God will overcome the fear of the virus,” Rawat said.
During his visit to Haridwar, the chief minister inspected the ongoing works for Mahakumbh and inaugurated many completed projects worth ₹120 crore.
“Prior to my taking charge (as CM), there were clouds of uncertainty hovering over Mahakumbh. But now they have been cleared, as the government is fully focused on the organising the Mahakumbh in a grand way,” Rawat told the media after performing rituals at the sanctum sanctorum of Brahmakund in Har-Ki-Pauri Ganga ghat along with BJP state president Madan Kaushik and state assembly speaker Premchand Agarwal.
“We have to take risk as Mahakumbh is not a normal annual fair but one which is held after 12 years.
“Every devotee wants to take sacred Ganga dip and take back Gangajal to home. So how can we stop or restrict them from coming here? But the Covid-19 guidelines of the Centre will be adhered to,” he said.
The chief minister said, “Religious sentiments need to be given priority as faith is stronger than fear as was seen in the Shahi Snaan on Mahashivaratri on March 11, for which about 3.4 million people arrived in Harid
war for the holy bath.”
During his visit to Haridwar, Rawat met seers of Bairagi Akhada in Mela area and sought their blessings.
Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, who was present with Rawat, said, “In times of the pandemic, Mahakumbh would be the biggest public congregation in the world while following the Covid-19
guidelines.”
After taking charge as the CM, Rawat had overturned several decisions taken by previous CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, including mandatory RT-PCR negative test report by the devotees coming to Haridwar and no plying of extra buses or running of special trains to Haridwar during Shahi Snaans to limit the crowd amid the pandemic.
The new CM had lifted the restrictions, saying, “The mega event is no ordinary one and devotees will be welcomed without any unnecessary restrictions in the name of Covid-19.”
Experts and the Opposition criticised the CM for his move to remove restrictions amid spike in Covid-19 cases in many states that has raised fears about a second wave.
“With the Covid-19 cases again increasing in the country, the government’s approach should be “health first”, but that doesn’t seems to be the case, which is worrisome,” said PS Chauhan, a Haridwar-based senior academic who has been keeping an eye on the Mahakumbh.
“The easing of restrictions would be very dangerous for the health safety of our state,” Chauhan said.
Congress state vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana said, “The CM is saying that all are welcome to the Mahakumbh and nobody will stop them with restrictions.”
“We are not against the devotees coming but is the government prepared to handle congregation of millions of people in one city? The answer is no. And this is a huge risk for the state,” he said.
HARIDWAR: Damkothi bungalow, an iconic building built on the banks of the Ganga canal in the British era, will soon don a refurnished look ahead of Mahakumbh in Haridwar, officials said.
“The public work department is carrying out the renovation at ₹1.87 crore allocated from the Kumbh budget. The renovation is expected to be completed by the end of this month when Kumbh notification will come into effect,” said Deepak Kumar, PWD executive engineer.
Damkothi, now used as an Uttarakhand guest house, was built in 1853 by engineer Colonel Proby Cautley during the construction of Ganga Canal between 1842 and 1854. The bungalow stands adjacent to
Mayapur canal regulator, 2 km away from Har-Ki-Pauri and parallel to Mana BadrinathGhaziabad national highway-58.
Renovation of Damkothi was done three decades ago by the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department. Ganga Avtaran Jhanki , comprising statues of Lord Shiva and deity Ganga, was installed on the premises of Damkothi on February 15 ,1999, Kumar said.
“The present renovation involves retrofitting, white wash and construction of an outer boundary wall and a gate, but the older design will be kept intact,” he said.
Pilgrims, tourists and local people come to see Damkothi that derived its name from nearby Dam Regulator. With a new Om bridge built adjacent to the building last year, people can be seen visiting the landmark structure throughout the day. During VIP visits, visitors are not allowed inside the building due to security reasons, Kumar said.
“Damkothi is a classic example of architectural design and use of solid raw material. The building has sustained more than 165 years of climatic conditions. The Ganga canal has been flowing for the number of years at the base of the building, yet it has not been impacted, ” said 85-year-old Padam Singh Chauhan, a former principal of Shravanath Muth Jawahar Lal Nehru College.
“Viceroys, prominent figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawahar Lal Nehru, many Presidents, governors, cabinet ministers, artists, corporate honchos, and sportspersons have stayed at Damkothi,” Chauhan said.