Alcohol tests soon for entry into Har-ki-Pauri
HARIDWAR: Security guards equipped with alcometers will be deployed around Har-kiPauri in Haridwar to check visitors and tourists for alcohol and prevent their entry to Ganga ghats if they are suspected to be in an inebriated condition, people familiar with the matter said.
The Ganga Sabha decided on breathalyser tests to be held by guards after incidents were reported over the past few months in which some people were found creating a ruckus, commotion, partying and creating nuisance at Har-ki-Pauri, considered sacred among Hindus.
The Ganga Sabha, formed in 1914 by Pt Madan Mohan Malviya, manages the sanctum sanctorum of the Brahamkund and affairs of Har-Ki-Pauri Ganga ghats, where every alternate six years Mahakumbh and Ardh Kumbh fairs are held.
Ganga Sabha general secretary Tanmay Vashisth said while police started Operation Maryada to rein in hooligans at Ganga ghats, the sabha decided to equip and deploy its security guards at the entry points of Ganga ghats to ensure visitors who have consumed alcohol or narcotics are barred from entering the sacred area.
“After Covid curfew was eased in the past few weeks, the arrival of people has increased sharply from other states at Har-Ki-Pauri. And so have cases of hooliganism and antisocial activities. With alcometer equipment, security guards will check such suspected offenders and bar them from entering the Ganga ghats at Har-Ki-Pauri and adjacent ghats,” Vashisth said.
Security guards will be deployed to check visitors at the entrance of Har-Ki-Pauri on Upper road, Kangda ghat, Ashes immersion ghat and Mahila ghat.
About 20 security guards equipped with alcohol-measuring devices will be deployed at other sites, he said. “Baggage of suspected persons will also be checked through handheld devices at these entrance points.”