Liquor and meat shops falling on Kanwar yatra route in Noida to remain shut from July 14

The decision was taken in a meeting held on July 8 to oversee preparations for Eid-al Adha, Shivratri and the Kanwar Yatra which was headed by District Magistrate (DM) Gautam Budh Nagar Suhas LY and attended by officials of Noida Police, the administration and various departments including the electricity department.

According to officials, the DM instructed that no illegal meat and liquor shop should be operated on the Kanwar route and for this, an action plan should be finalised by departmental officers. The DM also said a massive checking campaign should be conducted during the Kanwar fair and made it clear that no one should be harassed during this, they added.

Noida Police said travellers are expected to use multiple routes in the region. “One of the major routes starts from Ghaziabad where yatris enter the jurisdiction of Noida at Chilla border. A traditional old route along the Yamuna, it is important for those coming from Haridwar and going to Rajasthan and Haryana. Travellers stay at the Shani Mandir and at another camp at Pakshi Vihar and enter Delhi through Okhla barrage. The entire route has been sanitised,” Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Ranvijay Singh said.

Another route is at the Sector 63 roundabout, where yatris enter Noida, and come to Mahamaya Bridge, cross Okhla barrage to head ahead. This route is important for those travelling in vehicles such as bikes and trucks, he added.

“On all these routes, liquor and meat shops will be closed. This was decided in a coordination meeting and is also being conveyed to meat/liquor shop owners on the routes that shops will stay shut till the Kanwar yatra is completed. There will be a checking campaign during the yatra. Closing of these shops is a regular phenomenon during the yatra and once instructions are conveyed to shop owners, they start following it. Shop owners have respect for the yatra and everyone participating in it,” said Singh.

According to Noida Police, all preparations for the yatra have been undertaken to ensure that the participants don’t face any issues on their journey, which also includes arrangement for security and traffic divergence.

The Noida administration has also issued a list of areas – Jewar, Jarcha, Kasna, Daunkar – which fall on the Kanwar route and don’t have adequate street lights as well as roads which are in immediate need of repair. Instructions have been issued to carry out necessary action, officials said.

The yatra is an annual pilgrimage undertaken by devotees of Lord Shiva who fetch water from the Ganga to offer it to local temples and popular shrines in the country. It is set to take place two years after the pandemic hit. Most kanwariyas are transit worshippers while some will be completing their rituals in temples in the vicinity, police said.