Uttarakhand government has decided to limit the Kumbh 2021 Mela this year for 30 days due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Chief Secretary, Om Prakash said on Thursday that the government will issue the notice by the end of March. This time Kumbh will be held from April 1 to April 30. The decision has been taken to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 infection, Mr Prakash said.
The state government has also emphasised reducing the duration of Kumbh 2021 as they fear becoming a hot spot of the virus.
Earlier, the Haridwar District Magistrate C Ravishankar said that pilgrims will need passes to attend Kumbh. “Pilgrims will need passes for Kumbh 2021 and the passes will be issued only after submission of a negative RT-PCR test report, medical certificate, and identification proof. Those without passes will be denied entry,” said Ravishankar.
He also informed that the district administration has demanded 70,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines for the personnel posted on duty to ensure their safety.
The Kumbh 2021 administration has also put cameras at the Ganga Ghats to monitor the crowd.
Preparations for accommodation of around 1.25 lakh pilgrims any day is going on in 800 hotels and 350 ashrams in Haridwar.
Though the number of Covid-19 positive cases have considerably declined, with 44 new cases declared in the state on Wednesday, officials said that they are unwilling to take any chances.
The Maha Kumbh is celebrated in a cycle of 12 years at four river-bank pilgrimage sites across India. Religious tourism is the backbone of Uttarakhand’s economy. Hence, the event comes as a hope of revival for the people associated with the sector.
Haridwar has been turned into a hub of mythology-themed colourful wall graffiti to make devotees and tourists aware of its significance in the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela, under the campaign called “Paint My City”, run by the Haridwar-Roorkee Development Authority. Describing Kumbh as a festival of colours, Mela Deputy Officer Harbir Singh said that graffiti depicting Hindu mythology and Uttarakhand culture has been installed across walls, bridges, Government buildings, and other spaces available in Haridwar.
