Haridwar: Schools To Remain Closed From July 27- August 2 Due To Kanwar Yatra Rush

The devotees, also known as 'kanwariyas' have started arriving in Haridwar to collect the water of the holy Ganga river after the Kanwar Yatra began on July 22.

'Kanwariyas' on their way back home after fetching water from Ganga river in Haridwar on Monday, July 22.

Source : PTI

In view of the ongoing Kanwar Yatra, which started on July 22, the schools in Haridwar will remain closed for a week, from July 27 to August 2, as the devotees are pouring in the pilgrimage city. The devotees, also known as 'kanwariyas', have started arriving in Haridwar to collect the water of the holy Ganga river. 

District Magistrate Dhiraj Singh Garbiyal stated that it has been decided to close the schools as the rush is anticipated to increase over the next few days, news agency PTI reported.

DM Garbiyal added that the government, non-government schools, and Anganwadi centres from class 1 to 12 in the district will remain closed from July 27 to August 2. 

The kanwar in the 'Kanwar Yatra' refers to the pot that is filled with water from the holy Ganga river, that the devotees carry on their shoulders. The pots are suspended on a decorated bamboo stick that the 'kanwariyas' balance on their shoulders as they offer it at a Shiva temple primarily at Baidyanath, Haridwar, Uttarakhand. 

Kanwar Yatra Row

This year, a row erupted before the beginning of the Kanwar Yatra, after the Muzaffarnagar Police asked the food shop owners along the yatra route to display their owners' names in front of the eateries.

After receiving backlash, the police issued a fresh advisory making it voluntary to display the names. However, the Uttar Pradesh police mandated the order and extended it to the entire state.

This triggered a row as the opposition stated that the order "targeted Muslims" and created a divide.

LJP's Chirag Paswan, an NDA ally, also said that he will not stand with anything that creates divide.

A day after UP mandated the display of namplates outside eateries, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami also said that a similar order had already been extended order across the state.

The yatra began on the first day of the month of Shravan (Sawan) on July 22 and will conclude on August 2.

The Supreme Court on Monday also put an interim stay on the enforcement order of UP government's order, requiring the eatery owners to disclose the owners' names and the staff's names as well.