Ganga Dussehra to be celebrated in a symbolic way; Haridwar, district borders to be sealed

On June 18, the Haridwar police said 'The Ganga Snan' scheduled on June 20 on the occasion of Ganga Dussehra in Haridwar has been cancelled for devotees due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situation. 

According to the police, the district borders will be sealed on June 20, and devotees coming from other states will not be allowed.

Superintendent of police (SP), City of Haridwar Kamlesh Upadhyaya said, "After meeting with the officials of Shri Ganga Sabha including various religious institutions in Haridwar, it has been decided that Ganga Dussehra will be celebrated in a symbolic way."

Upadhyaya stated, "The borders of Haridwar will remain closed for the devotees coming from other states".

The SP city urged the public to celebrate Ganga Dussehra at their homes and follow the Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) issued by the authorities.

The City SP informed, "Legal action will be taken against those who would not follow the guidelines issued for COVID-19 under the Disaster Management Act".

Ganga Dussehra

Ganga Dussehra is celebrated on the tenth day (Dashami) of the waxing phase of the moon (Shukla Paksha) in the Hindu month Jyeshtha, which also marks the day when Goddess Ganga is believed to have descended from the heavens to earth.

Devotees believe that taking a dip in the river on this day will get them rid of their sins and also heal any physical ailments.

COVID situation in Uttarakhand

To date, Uttarakhand has reported a total of 3.38 lakh active COVID cases with 3.28 lakh recoveries and 7,011 deaths. The state has administered 35,23,028 COVID vaccine doses across 407 vaccination sites.

On June 14, the Uttarakhand government extended the COVID-19 induced lockdown, for another week, until June 22. Subodh Uniyal, a state minister, had stated that the original guidelines will remain in force with minor revisions. Residents of Chamoli, Rudraprayag, and Uttarkashi have been granted permission to visit the Char Dham sites of Badrinath, Kedarnath, and Gangotri-Yamunotri, respectively, in a considerable relaxation. The lockdown restrictions were supposed to end on June 15.

(With ANI input)

(Image credit: PTI)