After peaceful passing of Holy month of Ramadan and celebration of Eid, chief minister Yogi Adityanath geared up the forces to ensure incident free Kanwar Yatra during the coming month of Shrawan, starting from coming Sunday.
Yogi asked the officials of both Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand that the Kanwars, should feel the `difference’ in arrangement after coming of Bhartiya Janta Party in power, both in UP and Uttrakhand. Giving direction to officers here during a review meeting on Thursday afternoon, Yogi said that no one should be allowed to use speakers or loudspeakers without seeking permission from the administration and that only Bhajans should be allowed to play. It may be mentioned that earlier Samajwadi Party government, after witnessing communal clashes during Yatras over use of loudspeakers had banned the Kanwars from playing DJ or loud music. Now Yogi too asked that loudspeakers should be only allowed to play only to a limited decibel so that it would not create trouble for others.
“All divisional commissioners, district magistrates and police chiefs have been directed to ensure patrolling in sensitive places and ask local intelligence units to remain on high alert during the entire month of Shrawan,” CM reportedly asked the officers.
All the district magistrates and local district police chief under whose jurisdiction the `Kanwar Yatra’ would pass have been directed to take all necessary measures like ensuring maintenance of street lights, drinking water, traffic diversion, while instructions were also passed to bound down all anti-social elements who created trouble in the past during the celebration of the Shrawan month.
The sleuths of the Intelligence Agencies were also asked to remain on their toes especially as terror threats looms large on such occasions. Besides, directions have been issued to ensure that adequate force should be deployed on all sensitive and crowded points, like markets, bus and railway stations, and proper anti-sabotage check should be made in all the camps where Kanwars take rest during the Yatra. Orders were also issued to deploy flood relief teams of Provincial Armed Constabulary and Jal Police so that no untoward incident took place on the banks of Ganga where Kanwars visits to collect Holy Water.
Yogi also asked to ensure positioning of fire brigades and ambulances to meet out any eventuality while force should be deployed so that any extortion from the traders, or any trouble to the Kanwars could be averted. He also asked to make necessary arrangements for the women Kanwars. Besides, chief minister asked to make necessary diversion of heavy vehicles to avert any major mishap. He also directed to make the roads pothole free so that Kanwars should enjoy smooth and trouble free Yatra.
The security was also reviewed as besides local inputs, the Intelligence Bureau had also sent an advisory to the State government in which it warned the security forces to remain vigilant as some subversive forces were making efforts to create mischief and fuel communal hatred leading to clashes in the State during the Shrawan Yatra. Besides other senior officers, PS (Home), Arvind Kumar and Director General of police, Sulkhan Singh were also present in the meeting.
