India / Don't permit movement of Kanwariyas for 'Ganga Jal' amid COVID-19: Govt to states

New Delhi: The Central government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Friday stating that state governments must not permit movement of Kanwariyas for bringing of water from the Ganga river from Haridwar in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, considering religious sentiments, the governments should develop a system to make the sacred water available via tankers at designated locations, it said according to a report by news agency ANI.

The Centre said the state governments must also ensure that distribution of water from the Ganga among devotees and rituals by such devotees in the nearby Shiv temples take place while mandatorily ensuring social distancing norms, wearing of masks and adhering to all steps required to contain the spread of the viral disease.

The Supreme Court had sought responses from the Centre and Uttar Pradesh government on the matter as it took suo motu cognisance of the Yogi Adityanath administration’s decision to allow the Kanwar yatra from July 25 amid the pandemic.

A bench, headed by Justice RF Nariman, had referred to a statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that not even a bit of compromise can be made on containment of the pandemic and said citizens were perplexed about the fact that the UP government has given a go-ahead to the the annual pilgrimage.

The Centre further informed the court that tankers be available at identified and designated locations so that nearby devotees can collect such Ganga Jal and do 'abhishek' at their nearest Shiv temples.

Recently, the Uttarakhand government had cancelled the yatra, citing an imminent third wave of the coronavirus disease that has claimed thousands of lives across the country.

UP’s Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh said on Thursday his government will look into the directions issued by the Supreme Court over the Kanwar Yatra and will ensure that Covid protocols are followed during the annual pilgrimage.

Every year, thousands of 'Kanwariyas' (mostly young devotees of Lord Shiva) from the northern states travel on foot or by other means to collect water from the River Ganga at Haridwar and Rishikesh to offer at Shiva temples in their areas as part of the yatra during the Hindu month of 'Saavan' (July and August).