After Uttarakhand and UP, Delhi cancels Kanwar Yatra citing COVID crisis

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New Delhi: The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Sunday (July 18) prohibited the annual Kanwar Yatra in the city to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"No celebrations, processions, gatherings, etc. Shall be allowed during forthcoming Kanwar Yatra-2021 starting from July 25 in NCT of Delhi," stated an order issued by the DDMA.

All District Magistrates of Delhi and their counterpart District Deputy Commissioners of Police and all other authorities concerned shall ensure strict compliance of this order and adequately inform and sensitise the field functionaries about these instructions for strict compliance, in letter and spirit, informed the DDMA order.

The DDMA order came a day after the yatra was cancelled in Uttar Pradesh.

The yatra usually goes on till the first week of August and sees thousands of Shiva devotees, called 'kanwariyas', travelling mostly on foot from neighbouring states, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi, to collect water from the Ganges in Haridwar in Uttarakhand.

Earlier this week, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that governments should take every step to prevent the spread of COVID-19.