UP CM Yogi Adityanath bans meat sale in open on Kanwar Yatra route, asks officials to maintain law & order

NEW DELHI: The month of Shravan is here and therefore, there is already an atmosphere of devotion and purity as the monsoons have also set in. During this month, nature looks beautiful and devotees of Bhagwan Shiva become very happy because this is the favourite month of Bholenath.

At the very mention of Shravan month, the scenes of saffron-clad Bol Bom devotees or kanwariyas walking barefoot, carrying ‘kanwars’, chanting ‘Bol Bom’ instantly come to mind. The whole atmosphere is so spiritual and calming and the government aims that the festival is celebrated peacefully without any conflict. Therefore the Uttar Pradesh government is taking all the measures for the devotees so that the festival is celebrated without any trouble.

In this regard, the state government has decided to ban the sale and purchase of meat in the open on the route of the Kanwar Yatra, which starts on July 22.

The decision was taken by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath while reviewing the preparations related to the law-and-order arrangements for upcoming festivals.

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According to a statement of an official of the state government: “The holy month of Shravan is starting from July 22. During this period, Shravani Shivratri, Nagpanchami, and Rakshabandhan will be celebrated. Traditional Kanwar Yatra will be held. Besides, Jagannath Rath Yatra will be celebrated from July 7-9, Moharram on July 17-18, and Guru Purnima on July 21.”

Directing the concerned authorities given the festivals, the chief minister asked them to be alert to prevent any untoward situation. He also said that from the perspective of the traditional Kanwar Yatra, places including Ghaziabad, Meerut, Ayodhya, Bareilly, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Barabanki, Basti, and the districts bordering Uttarakhand are very important.

He also added that during the Muharram procession, very big Tazias which can cause accidents should not be included in the processions. Tazias should be taken out ontly those routes where there will be no clashes.

Yogi Adityanath also asked the officials to ensure proper cleanliness and especially places around temples should be kept clean and on Mondays, where the devotees throng the temples in large numbers. He stressed on mking proper arrangements.

The chief minister also directed to the officials that there should be no loophole regarding security arrangements, adding that preparations for crowd management, route diversion, and deployment of police force and CCTV cameras should be made in time.

The places for setting up Kanwar camps should be identified in advance so that traffic is not disrupted, he added.

The Chief Minister also requested the people to be sensitive towards religious sentiments and to co-operate with the administration in maintaining law and order in the region.

Yogi Adityanath who is loved and loathed in equal measure wants to leave no stone unturned for proper arrangements for the festival.