Religious tourism hit hard by cancellation of kanwar fair, char dham yatra

The cancellation of kanwar yatra has come as the last nail in the coffin for traders in Haridwar

The cancellation of the annual kanwar fair and the chardham yatra confined only to pilgrims from the state have badly hit livelihoods related to religious tourism and the hospitality sector in Uttarakhand.

The chardham yatra last season generated over Rs 1,100 crore with a record 36 lakh devotees visiting Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri but it has drawn almost a blank this year, according to Haridwar Vyapar Mandal's district president Suresh Gulati.

Hotels, ashrams, guest houses and dharmashalas in the temple towns of Haridwar and Rishikesh used to be bursting at the seams at this time of the year because