Yogi tells Dhami to allow Kanwariyas into Uttarakhand

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government is in the process of reconsidering its decision to cancel the Kanwar Yatra and allow the pilgrimage to happen, sources familiar with the development told TOI on Wednesday.
This follows the announcement by the UP government on Tuesday that it would permit the yatra from July 25 onwards. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath had directed officials to coordinate with neighbouring states in this regard. He subsequently dialed his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Dhami. Sources told TOI that Adityanath requested Dhami that kanwarias from UP should be allowed in limited numbers to travel to Haridwar to collect water from the Ganga.
A senior government official who requested anonymity said that the state government had all but made up its mind to agree to Adityanath’s appeal. “It is unlikely that the state government will turn down the request made by the UP CM. Also, assembly elections are coming up in both UP and Uttarakhand and disappointing the kanwarias, who form a chunk of the vote-base of BJP, can be counter-productive.”
Speaking on the issue on Wednesday, Dhami said in Haridwar, “I have called a high-level meeting on Thursday to discuss the Kanwar Yatra. Our aim is to not disappoint the pilgrims.”
When asked whether the Uttarakhand government is planning to seek advice from the Central government on the matter, Dhami said, “This is something between UP and Uttarakhand. The UP CM and I have already spoken twice on the issue and, if needed, I will speak to him again on the matter.”
The Uttarakhand government had decided to cancel the Kanwar Yatra this year due to the Covid-19 threat and issued an order in this regard on June 30. Last year, too, the yatra had been cancelled due to the pandemic. In 2019, when the yatra had last taken place, over 3.3 crore kanwarias had come to Haridwar -- mainly from Haryana, UP, Delhi and Rajasthan.