(File photo)Taking suo motu cognisance of a report in The Indian Express on the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to allow the Kanwar Yatra which has been suspended by neighbouring Uttarakhand amid fears of a possible third Covid-19 wave, the Supreme Court Wednesday sought responses by Friday from the Centre and the governments of UP and Uttarakhand. It directed that affidavits be filed by July 16, “responding to the aforesaid news article by the relevant Secretary, Union of India; Principal Secretary to the State of Uttarakhand; and Principal Secretary to the State of Uttar Pradesh”. We can’t play with that… we won’t take any chances.”Uttarakhand’s decision to suspend the yatra, the report stated, came even as the administration in UP started preparing for the yatra — “with restrictions”. The report quoted UP Additional Director General (ADG) Law and Order, Prashant Kumar, saying that this year, the yatra will be held from July 25 to August 6. Officials said that in 2019, the last time the yatra was organised, nearly 3.5 crore devotees (kanwariyas) had visited Haridwar while over 2-3 crore people had visited pilgrimage spots in western UP.

Source: Indian Express July 14, 2021 05:47 UTC