Muzaffarnagar

Heavy traffic restrictions will come into force in phases for the annual Kanwar Yatra across western Uttar Pradesh, officials said on Wednesday.

Medical arrangements, CCTV surveillance and deployment of dedicated relief personnel along the ghats have been made in view of the pilgrimage that begins Thursday.

Liquor shops and non-vegetarian eateries have also been cleared from the route.

From August 4, there will be a complete ban on vehicular movement on the Delhi-Haridwar National Highway (NH-58) and the Ganga canal road in Muzaffarnagar district to facilitate the movement of kanwariyas, they said.

The restrictions are expected to affect travel between Delhi, Haridwar, Dehradun and Saharanpur, with commuters likely to face longer journeys and higher bus and taxi fares due to diversions.

Muzaffarnagar Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar said heavy vehicles would be barred from key routes from July 30, while all traffic would be prohibited on the Delhi-Haridwar National Highway and the Ganga canal road in the district from August 4. "Traffic will be diverted to alternate routes to ensure smooth movement of Kanwariyas during the yatra," Kumar told reporters.

Under the diversion plan, traffic from Haridwar and Saharanpur towards Delhi will be routed through Deoband, Pachenda, Mirapur and Mawana in Meerut before reaching the national capital. Return traffic will follow the same route.

Officials said the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation has made arrangements to operate buses on diversion routes; however, passengers are likely to face longer travel times and increased fares because of the additional distance.

The Kanwar Yatra, during which devotees of Lord Shiva collect Ganga water from Haridwar and carry it on foot to offer at Shiva temples in their hometowns, will begin on July 30 and conclude on August 11.

In Ghaziabad, the commissionerate police have announced a staggered traffic diversion plan from July 29 to August 12. Heavy goods vehicles entering the city from the Delhi side have been barred from Wednesday morning and will be diverted via the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, the Ganga Expressway and the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway.

Restrictions on light commercial vehicles, cars, tempos and other passenger vehicles will come into force from the morning of August 5. The Ganga canal embankment road and pipeline road will remain completely closed, while vehicular movement on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway will be stopped from August 7, except for Dak Kanwariyas.

Authorities have also suspended the entry of state-run, private, city and electric buses into Ghaziabad city from Seemapuri border and Tulsi Niketan from August 5, diverting them through alternate routes.

Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar said preparations for the yatra have been completed, with the district divided into 11 zones, 24 sectors and 108 sub-sectors for administrative supervision.

About 300 kanwar camps are expected to be set up, with over 205 kanwar organisations participating. More than 24 medical camps, 65 ambulances and over 250 reserved hospital beds have been arranged, while NDRF and SDRF teams will be deployed at sensitive Ganga canal ghats, officials said in Ghaziabad.

The administration has also covered transformers, secured around 90,000 electricity poles along the Kanwar route, closed non-vegetarian shops on the route and screened 170 liquor outlets.

CCTV cameras linked to multiple control rooms will monitor the pilgrimage, while officials warned of strict action against those spreading rumours on social media.

In Bareilly district, the administration has made elaborate arrangements for the Kanwar Yatra, with over 3,900 police personnel deployed across the district to ensure the safety of devotees.

The district has been divided into three super zones, nine zones, 28 sectors and 104 sub-sectors for security management. Ten temporary police checkposts have been set up and more than 270 CCTV cameras installed for round-the-clock surveillance, Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya said on Wednesday.

Police records show Bareilly has 1,205 Shiva temples, of which around 499 witness jalabhishek during the holy month of Shravan. Fourteen temples have been identified as major shrines.

Arya said the security plan had been finalised after briefing all officers, with surveillance being maintained through CCTV cameras to ensure that devotees do not face any inconvenience.

The deployment includes station house officers, inspectors, sub-inspectors, constables, women personnel and Home Guards, while police have warned that adequate arrangements are in place to manage crowds throughout the pilgrimage period.

Earlier, Additional Director General of Police (Meerut Zone) Bhanu Bhaskar had said that heavy vehicle diversions across the Meerut zone would begin at midnight on July 29-30, while restrictions for light and medium vehicles would be enforced from August 4 until August 12.

He mentioned that people travelling from Delhi to Haridwar and Dehradun could use the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, where Kanwariyas would be discouraged from travelling, while ambulances and other emergency services would be allowed through restricted stretches under police escort.

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Police have deployed around 25,000 personnel across the Meerut zone, with AI-enabled surveillance through nearly 7,000 CCTV cameras, temporary police posts, barricades and integrated command centres to ensure the safe conduct of the annual pilgrimage.