Kanwar fair begins amid tight security

Scores of Shiva devotees poured into the city to collect sacred water from the Ganga as the annual kanwar yatra began Wednesday.

The ghats of the river, including Har ki Pauri, kept bustling with devotees who streamed in all day to fill their pots and urns with the holy water.

Around 10,000 police and para military personnel, including bomb disposal and anti-terrorist squads, have been deployed along the routes besides installing CCTV and drone cameras on chosen locations in the fair area to maintain a tight vigil, IG (law and order) Ashok Kumar said.

Police personnel in plain clothes have also been deployed on sensitive spots to keep an eye on any suspicious activity, he said.

An estimated three crore devotees are likely to descend on Haridwar during the kanwar mela this year.

The city has been divided into 12 super zones, 31 zones and 133 sectors for crowd management.

With the iconic Lakshman Jhula in Rishikesh closed recently due to safety reasons, the route plan for the yatra had to be changed The yatra will conclude on July 30..

Kanwariyas on foot are being sent to Neelkanth Mahadev temple via Ram Jhula and Mauni Baba cave. On their way back they will be sent to Rishikesh barrage road.