Haridwar-Meerut-Delhi Highway: The month of Shravan, considered holy by many Hindus, started on July 22. With it, the kanwar yatra has also started in north India.
Like every year, millions of Hindu devotees from Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan thronged the Har Ki Pudi Ganga ghat in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar to collect water from the Ganga in steel pots (kalash) and plastic cans.
This year’s kanwar yatra will end on August 2. During these ten days, devotees will carry the Ganga’s water by foot from Haridwar to their hometowns and will anoint local Shiva temples with it.
The Haridwar-Meerut-Delhi Highway has been heavily crowded and there is a perpetual traffic jam. The highway is a particular favourite of kanwariyas from Delhi, Haryana and Meerut.
Traffic along the Delhi-Haridwar highway is jammed due to the kanwar yatra.
For commuters travelling on this route, traffic jams and diversions are a mainstay for these days. A distance on the highway that would normally take two hours, takes up to six, many told this reporter.
Kanwariyas violate traffic rules, roads blocked in Muzaffarnagar
As has been noted in multiple reports, those participating in the kanwar yatra have often been flouting traffic rules on the highway on their way back from Haridwar.
Both the Uttarakhand police and the Uttar Pradesh police have ostensibly failed to rein in the pilgrims.
Four kanwariyas on a scooter at Muzaffarnagar’s Shiv Chowk.
Some roads in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar city have been closed to the general traffic due to the kanwar yatra, while some others have been restricted to people participating in the yatra.
This reporter spotted a queue of trucks with large Dolby systems fitted to DJ turntables on the Delhi-Haridwar Highway, obstructing vehicles on the road. People participating in the yatra were dancing in front of the trucks, oblivious to traffic delays.
When this reporter was at Muzaffarnagar, he saw kanwariyas stopping common people at some places and barring them from entering a road leading to the gathering at Shiv Chowk in Muzaffarnagar.
A young kanwariya blocks a road in Muzaffarnagar.
Nasir, an e-rickshaw driver on this route, told this reporter: “Due to the kanwar yatra, city roads have been closed, making it difficult for rickshaws to ply. As the roads are closed, it is affecting business. In the coming days, the number of kanwariyas will increase further, reaching a crescendo on August 2.”
The Muzaffarnagar police refused to comment on the traffic problems caused by the road closure as well as the obstruction caused by kanwariyas.
Large sound systems on the Delhi-Haridwar highway have caused traffic jams.
At Roorkee in Uttarakhand, kanwariyas vandalised an e-rickshaw and thrashed its driver. The rickshaw driver was accused of touching a kanwariya with his vehicle and damaging his kalash.
A video of the incident showed the kanwariyas, most of them young men and boys, on Tuesday hitting a toppled e-rickshaw with thick wooden blocks and sticks. More than half-a-dozen kanwariyas are seen attacking the vehicle while scores of others were looking on. The entire incident took place in front of the police.
After the incident, the rickshaw driver was admitted to a hospital for treatment.
Developments in Muzaffarnagar after Supreme Court decision on not to display eatery owners’ names
The Supreme Court on Monday (July 21) issued an interim stay on the directives by the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments requiring eateries and food vendors along the kanwar yatra’s route to display the names of their owners and employees.
Following the Supreme Court order, some shops along the kanwar yatra’s route in Muzaffarnagar have retained the names of their owners on display, while others have removed them.
A shop in Muzaffarnagar displays the name of its Muslim owner.
On the Rana Chowk bypass road in Muzaffarnagar, there were about ten small hotels owned by Muslims that served meals, tea, snacks, fast food and cold drinks. However, due to the kanwar yatra, the road leading to these shops is closed, resulting in fewer customers visiting them, said eatery owners.
Asif, who runs a tea stall on the bypass road, welcomed the Supreme Court order. He said: “I have been running this stall for the last six years. My shop serves vegetarian fast food and tea. A few days ago, we displayed our names outside the shop. We do not discriminate in our shop; both Hindu and Muslim customers come here.”
Kanwariyas have been traveling from Shiv Chowk in Muzaffarnagar to Delhi Meerut Road. Currently, one side of the road is closed. In the next two to three days, this road will be completely closed to general traffic.
As the road is closed, there are no guests at this hotel at Muzaffarnagar’s Rana Chowk.
On this route, there are shops, hotels and fruit stalls owned by both Hindus and Muslims. Due to the partial closure, sales have been low.
Mohammad Ali, who has a fruit stall along this road, says: “I have been selling fruit for the last 35 years, but this year I was told to display my name on the stall due to an order from the chief minister. After the Supreme Court decision, the name was removed.”
L: Mohammad Ali sells fruit at his stall in Muzaffarnagar. R: Ali’s fruits spoil as the blocked roads have hit sales.
Ali further explained: “I am in the business of selling fruit, but after the 26th, I will have to shut down my stall as this street will be crowded with kanwariyas and the road will be closed. Currently, one side of the road is closed, which has affected my business. There are fewer customers, and since fruits are perishable, I am incurring losses.”
The open sale and purchase of non-vegetarian food has been banned along the entire route that the kanwar yatris are passing through. As a result, non-vegetarian hotels and chicken shops have been closed throughout Muzaffarnagar city.
All photos by Atul Ashok Howale.
