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Hindustan Times
10-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
QR stickers, tight surveillance, 838 rest sheds–540 km route ready for Kanwar Yatra
With the holy month of Shravan days away, the Meerut region has come alive with preparations for the Kanwar Yatra, which is set to begin on July 11 and culminate on Sawan Shivratri on July 23. Over 20 lakh pilgrims are expected at Pura Mahadeva alone. (HT) Millions of kanwariyas, carrying holy Ganga water, will visit temples like Pura Mahadeva in Baghpat and Augharnath in Meerut. The Meerut Range, encompassing Meerut, Bulandshahr, Baghpat and Hapur districts, anticipates over 20 lakh devotees at Pura Mahadeva alone. To support them, 838 temporary camps provide food, shelter, and medical aid. Additionally, 184 rest points line the 540-kilometer route. Security arrangements are unprecedented this year, with a heavy police presence and cutting-edge technology ensuring pilgrim safety. Hundreds of police personnel are deployed across the route, supported by 119 security barriers equipped with CCTV cameras. Drones are being extensively used to monitor the 540-kilometre Kanwar route, providing real-time surveillance to prevent incidents and manage crowds. A key highlight this year is the QR code system for eateries on the Kanwar route. On Wednesday, food safety officials in Muzaffarnagar and Meerut began pasting QR stickers at restaurants and dhabas. Linked to the Food Safety Connect App, these stickers, when scanned, reveal the establishment's registration number, owner's name, address, and menu details, ensuring access to hygienic, satvik (pure vegetarian) food. Divisional commissioner Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod emphasised, 'The QR code system promotes transparency, ensuring kanwariyas are not overcharged and can trust the food's purity.' Rekha S. Chauhan, special secretary and additional commissioner of FSDA, elaborated, 'A special drive has been launched on all kanwar routes. We are putting up Safety App Connect stickers on all food stalls, eateries, and restaurants. Owners have been instructed to display proper rate lists for all items. Food quality is being checked along all routes, and hygiene is also being assessed.' Non-compliant eateries face fines up to ₹2 lakh under the Food Safety Act, 2006. Manoj Saini, a restaurant owner on the Meerut-Muzaffarnagar highway, said, 'Officials visited my shop. We were instructed to maintain cleanliness during the Kanwar Yatra.' Kanwariya Aman Kumar from Ghaziabad praised the initiative: 'QR codes make it easy to choose safe, pure food. It gives us confidence during our journey.' Anita Devi, a kanwariya from Hapur, remarked, 'QR codes and clean food stalls make us feel cared for. It's a long walk, but these efforts make it easier to stay focused on Lord Shiva.' Meerut Range DIG Kalanidhi Naithani stated, 'Our drone surveillance system, combined with a robust police deployment, ensures comprehensive monitoring of the yatra. We've stationed women police personnel at key points and established Lost and Found centres to assist pilgrims, particularly in 184 mixed-population areas where communal harmony is a priority.' Meerut SP (City) Ayush Vikram Singh said round-the-clock patrolling and drone surveillance were being done. State Disaster Response Force and National Disaster Response Force teams, along with local divers, are on standby for emergencies. Several traffic diversions have been put in place in the region. Meanwhile, the QR code and owner display mandate has sparked a debate, with critics citing risks of communal profiling, a concern raised in the Supreme Court's 2024 pause on a similar directive.
Hindustan Times
03-07-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Kanwar yatra: Meerut administration in UP asks eateries to display key information
Ahead of the annual Kanwar Yatra beginning on July 11, the Meerut district administration has mandated that all food joints along the Kanwar Yatra route prominently display critical information, including a list of food items and their prices. The Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage undertaken by Lord Shiva's devotees, known as kanwariyas, who fetch holy water from the Ganga during the auspicious Hindu month of Shravan. (FILE PHOTO) Divisional commissioner Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod said, 'The district administration is ensuring that a list of food items and their prices is displayed outside all food joints along the Kanwar Yatra route. This ensures Kanwariyas are not overcharged and can make informed choices.' The food safety department has been tasked with ensuring that all food joints display their mandatory food safety registration certificates, which include the owner's name and registration number. To further enhance accountability, each establishment must display a QR code that allows pilgrims to scan and access detailed information about the food joint's ownership and compliance status. 'This is being done to ensure Kanwariyas receive good quality and pure food during their journey,' Dr. Yashod added. The administration has warned that strict action will be taken against non-compliant businesses under Section 55 of the Food Safety Act, 2006, which could result in fines of up to ₹ 2 lakh. The Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage undertaken by Lord Shiva's devotees, known as kanwariyas, who fetch holy water from the Ganga during the auspicious Hindu month of Shravan. This holy water is then offered to Lord Shiva. The yatra draws millions of pilgrims to the region. Meanwhile, in neighbouring Uttarakhand, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and health minister Dhan Singh Rawat have directed the health department to implement a dedicated action plan to provide pure and safe food to devotees during the upcoming yatra, according to an official statement. In July 2024, the Uttar Pradesh government ordered hotels, restaurants, food carts and eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners. The Uttarakhand government also issued a similar direction, of installing nameplates on board across the Yatra route to facilitate the pilgrims. The Uttar Pradesh government's order came days after the Muzaffarnagar Police issued directives to all the eateries on the Yatra route to display the names of their respective owners to avoid any 'confusion'. The Supreme Court intervened and stayed the move, noting that there was no government order empowering the police to give directions in this case. The apex court observed that such directions could be issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, or the Street Vendors Act, 2014, to ensure 'shudh shakahari' (strictly vegetarian) food is served. The court stated that restaurants should indicate the type of food they serve but not be forced to display the names and identities of owners.
