Religious bodies against preponement of Ganga closure

Reacting to reports about the possible closure of the river from October 15 to November 12, a senior official of a representative body of priests in Haridwar said any attempt to advance the annual date for closing the Ganga will be aggressively protested.

"An aggressive stir will be launched to protest any effort to stem the flow of the river earlier than usual," senior official of Ganga Sabha Virendrakrit Pal said.

Ganga closure, also called Gangabandi, an annual cleaning exercise, begins at the start of Dusshehra and remains in force till Diwali every year.

He said closing the river on October 15 is not acceptable as pilgrims converge in Haridwar around that period for Pitri Amavasya and Navratri.