Haridwar: A day after the Haridwar Police Administration directed all eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display names of their respective owners, Haridwar District Magistrate (DM), Dhiraj Singh Garbyal, said on Saturday that the move is intended to ensure "the convenience of the public and allow people to know the details of the food outlet's owner."
The Kanwar Yatra, a sacred pilgrimage of devotees of Lord Shiva, is scheduled to begin on July 22.
"This is for people's convenience. People should know who owns the hotel and who is preparing the food. Even if you go to the market, you will see the owner's name on the shop. This is for the convenience of the people," DM Garbyal said while speaking to ANI.
The DM further said that the administration is making all possible arrangements for the convenience of devotees. "For their convenience, arrangements such as drinking water and clean toilet facilities are being made. The Kanwar route will also have lights and proper cleaning will also be ensured," he added.
Notably, in Uttar Pradesh, the proprietors of hotels, dhabas, and tea stalls on the Kanwar route have been directed to write their names on their respective outlets. On the same lines, now in Uttarakhand too, during the Kanwar fair, the owners of hotels, restaurants, and dhabas set up on the roadside and the people working in them will have to get themselves verified.
Speaking with ANI, Haridwar SSP Padmendra Dobal said that general instructions to the hotels, dhabas, and restaurants have been issued to write the name of the owner on their shops.
"Regarding the preparations for Kanwar, we have given general instructions to the hotels, dhabas, restaurants, and hawkers on the Kanwar route that they will write the name of the owner on their shops, and if they fail to do so, we will take legal action against them. Many times, a situation of dispute arises due to this; hence, this decision has been taken by us," Haridwar SSP said.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath mandated that food and beverage shops along Kanwar routes display the name and identity of the operator/owner to maintain the sanctity of the pilgrims' faith. Additionally, action will be taken against those selling halal-certified products.
The move by the Uttar Pradesh government to enforce the use of ID Cards by all shops in the state that fall along the Kanwar Yatra route has resulted in a political slugfest between the BJP and the opposition.
However, the move has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition parties, that have accused the UP government of singling out one community. —ANI
