Haridwar: The number of devotees have started to decline amid severe cold conditions at Har ki Pauri, a revered place in the holy city of Haridwar.
A 48-hour Orange Alert has been issued by the Meteorological Department including in Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar.
People living in the plains said they are facing a lot of problems due to severe cold waves and foggy conditions.
Ghats at the world-famous Har Ki Pauri which used to be full of devotees are seen empty this year. Every year, the administration would arrange a bonfire for the convenience of devotees, but this time the municipal officials have not arranged one.
Devotes said that this year, the administration did not make heating arrangements for devotees arriving here from far-off places. The devotees who reached Har Ki Pauri from Dharmanagar said, the crowd that used to move on the ghats is not seen this time because of the severe cold. Nor has the administration made any heating arrangements.
"There is severe cold here. Devotees are very few here. The water is freezing," said Prem Sharma, a devotee from Delhi who had come to Haridwar.
'We have come to Haridwar. A cold wave is blowing through this area. Heating arrangements have not been made. Few Devotees are present here this year," said another devotee Subodh Kashi who had come from Varanasi.
The Pandits of Har Ki Pauri also expressed the same concerns.
"Due to the cold, Har Ki Pauri is lying completely empty. Nor have any arrangements for a bonfire been made by the corporation. When will the devotees not get the facilities, then who will come to Har Ki Pauri? Earlier the Forest Department used to bring wood for the bonfire from the Municipal Corporation. But now it has stopped coming, people are in bad condition due to the cold," they said. —ANI