NEW DELHI: Gautam Buddha Nagar authorities are enhancing roads and security for Kanwar Yatra, including pothole repairs, streetlights, CCTV cameras, and sanitation facilities.
Authorities in Gautam Buddha Nagar are working on a 37-kilometre stretch of road to make it pothole-free and are installing 500 streetlights to ensure a comfortable journey for Kanwariyas during the Kanwar Yatra. The yatra will begin on Monday, July 22, 2024, and continue until August 19, 2024. During this period, thousands of devotees will pass through Gautam Buddha Nagar to collect water from the Ganga and other holy rivers to offer at Shiva shrines.
As the yatra passes through various parts of the district, authorities have identified eight arrival and departure routes, including Chilla Signal to Kalindi Kunj Border; Model Town Sector 62 to Kalindi Border; Tigri to Kalindi Border; Shahberi to Kalindi Border; Ghaziabad Lal Kuan to Bhaipura Shiv Mandir; and Shahberi/Tigri to Bhaipura.
As part of the security measures, the police have installed 56 CCTV cameras along the routes and plan to add 43 more. Officials stated that the maximum number of cameras, 21, will be placed in the Bisrakh area, followed by 13 cameras in Surajpur. Additionally, 29 public announcement (PA) systems will be installed.
Shakti Mohan Avasthy, DCP Crime and nodal officer for the Kanwar Yatra, told The Sunday Guardian that the police will ensure the safe entry and exit of yatris, providing all necessary facilities, including water, sanitation, and transportation. Avasthy added, “We’ve increased the number of CCTVs to ensure the safety of Kanwar yatris. Streetlights have been increased, roads are pothole-free, and there will be proper drinking, bathing, and sanitation facilities. Traffic congestion will be eased with barricading, and other departments will also assist in this effort.”
Recognising the importance of the yatra, authorities in Gautam Buddha Nagar have proposed closing at least 67 meat shops along the Kanwar routes. However, liquor shops will remain open during this period. The excise department has identified 64 shops along the routes, which will be covered with sheets and allowed to operate during fixed hours.
A senior officer from the Noida authority told The Sunday Guardian that the Public Works Department (PWD) has made a 37-kilometre stretch of road pothole-free on two Kanwar routes in the district. Additionally, 519 temporary streetlights will be installed. Authorities have also set up 101 handpumps, 14 drinking water tankers, 17 temporary toilets, and 12 bathrooms along the routes. A total of 144 sanitation workers will be deployed in three shifts to maintain cleanliness.
All three authorities will also provide support by deploying 115 sanitation workers and setting up 24 temporary toilets, 24 bathing rooms, 29 dustbins, and 50 temporary streetlights. Similarly, the health department will establish four COVID help desks, four health camps, and four ambulances, and deploy eight doctors. A total of five government and four private hospitals have been identified along the routes, with 50 beds and 50 anti-venom doses reserved for Kanwar yatris.