Muzaffarnagar

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday welcomed kanwariyas returning from Haridwar by showering flowers on them from a helicopter here.

Thousands of kanwariyas (devotees of Lord Shiva) are proceeding homeward after performing parikrama (circumambulation) at the Shiv Chowk in Muzaffarnagar.

District authorities have implemented stringent security measures along the Kanwar Yatra routes on the Delhi-Dehradun National Highway and the Ganga Canal Road to ensure a safe and smooth kanwar yatra, which concludes on July 23.

Earlier in the day, Adityanath made a visit to the ancient Dudheshwar Nath Temple in Ghaziabad as part of his Western Uttar Pradesh tour to oversee Kanwar Yatra arrangements.

Mahant Narayan Giri, the temple's head priest, said Adityanath offered Ganga water to Lord Shiva at the temple.

The chief Minister later instructed officials to clear encroachments which are creating hindrance in the construction of the temple corridor.

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The corridor is meant to initiate smooth traffic movement between the GT Road and the temple.