Consensus on cancellation of kanwar yatra: U'khand CM

The matter was discussed by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat with his Uttar Pradesh and Haryana counterparts via video-conference. All of them agreed that the annual kanwar yatra, which sees a huge congregation of Shiva devotees in Haridwar, should be cancelled this year.

The chief ministers of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana on Saturday arrived at a consensus to cancel the Kanwar yatra this year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The matter was discussed by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat with his Uttar Pradesh and Haryana counterparts via video-conference.

All of them agreed that the annual Kanwar yatra, which sees a huge congregation of Shiva devotees in Haridwar, should be cancelled this year. Saints and seers are also in favour of the yatra being cancelled to prevent huge gatherings of kanwariyas in Haridwar.

The chief minister said he had also spoken to Home Minister Amit Shah, who advised him to take a decision after thinking over it. Rawat will soon speak to the chief ministers of Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan over the issue.