Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], June 27 : Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan held a meeting of the Interstate Coordination Committee in Haridwar's CCR Auditorium to ensure smooth, pleasant and safe conduct of the upcoming Kanwar Mela.
Senior officials from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan participated in the meeting through both offline and online mediums.
On this occasion, Chief Secretary Bardhan stated that the Kanwar Mela is a significant festival of faith and devotion. He said that the district administration, police and other related departments should ensure tight arrangements to ensure the safe nd successful completion of the Kanwar Yatra. He also discussed sharing real-time coordination and data with all the states. All necessary inputs should be shared from a security point of view.
The Chief Secretary emphasised the maximum use of modern technology in the arrangements of the Kanwar Mela. He said that all preparations should be made with the upcoming Kumbh Mela in mind so that the experiences of the fair are also beneficial during Kumbh.
The Chief Secretary said that tight arrangements should be ensured for law and order and traffic management during the Kanwar fair. He also instructed the district administration to use BHEL parking if required. Safety standards should be followed in the dhabas and hotels located on the Yatra route, and rate lists should be mandatorily displayed.
DGP Deepam Seth said that every event presents new challenges. He said that to ensure this fair of faith and devotion is conducted in a safe manner, real-time information should be shared, and any kind of rumour should be uniformly denied. Only those workers who are proficient in their work should be sent to each other state. He said that information about 'what to do and what not to do' for Kanwariyas and devotees should be mandatorily displayed on the Yatra routes. The expectations of inter-state coordination should be fulfilled, and the fair should be conducted peacefully.
In the meeting, Home Secretary Shailesh Bagauli stated that devotees participating in the yatra should not encounter any problems, the traffic system should be simple, easy, and safe, and all preparations should be made with the devotees' convenience in mind. District Magistrate Mayur Dixit and SSP Pramod Singh Dobal gave detailed information about the preparations being made for the Kanwar Yatra, including the duration of the Kanwar Yatra, the percentage of devotees coming from different states, traffic management plan, social media monitoring through a PowerPoint presentation. On behalf of Uttar Pradesh, DIG Abhishek gave detailed information about the ongoing preparations, including the travel plan.
It was decided in the meeting that all the necessary information and inputs should be shared in real-time from a security point of view, social media should be monitored, and links for strict action against those spreading rumours should also be shared. The Kanwars should not be more than 10 feet in height. The SOP related to liquor and meat should be strictly followed. All identified DJ operators should be bound off by giving notice as per the rules. Uttarakhand should inform Uttar Pradesh about the parking situation in Haridwar from time to time.
ADJ Bhanu Bhaskar from Uttar Pradesh, Home Secretary Mohit Gupta, Commissioner Meerut Division Rishikesh Bhaskar Yashod, Commissioner Bareilly Saumya Aggarwal, Commissioner Saharanpur AK Rai, DIG Saharanpur Abhishek Singh, IG RPF Pankaj Gangwar, IG Nilesh Anand Bharane from Uttarakhand, NS Napalchal, DIG Dhirendra Gunjyal, SSP Dehradun Ajay Singh, Mela Adhikari Sonika, and senior officials of the five states were present in the meeting.