Dehradun, Jul 22 (PTI) The Kanwar Yatra began in Uttarakhand on Monday with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami welcoming the Kanwariyas and wishing them a pleasant journey, an official statement said.

He also appealed to the Kanwariyas to keep the Ganga clean.

“I pray to Lord Shiva for your pleasant journey. I also appeal to you to fully cooperate with the administration in maintaining law and order and cleanliness of Mother Ganga,” the chief minister said.

The statement said Director General of Police (DGP) Abhinav Kumar visited Haridwar to check the preparations for the Kanwar Yatra. Accompanied by senior officials, the DGP visited Bairagi Camp, Singh Dwar, Shankaracharya Chowk, Bus Adda, Jwalapur, Neeldhara Parking, Rodi Belwala, Har-Ki-Pauri and other fair areas.

Later, Kumar held a meeting in the fair control room.

The Kanwar Mela is a challenge which has to be handled with promptness, the DGP said.

Inspector General of Police, Garhwal region, K S Nagnyal asked policemen to keep a tab on two-wheelers breaking or crossing road dividers which creates traffic jams.

The entire Kanwar Mela area has been divided into 13 super zones, 31 zones and 126 sectors, the statement said.

Dog squads, bomb disposal squads and mounted police have been deployed in the fair area and 22 drone cameras will also be used to keep an eye from the sky, it said.

Every year, in the month of Sawan, Shiva devotees from many states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana travel to Haridwar and Rishikesh to collect Ganga water.

State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams rescued two Kanwariyas who were drowning at different ghats in Haridwar.

According to information received from the SDRF office, while collecting Gangajal at the Kangra Ghat, a Kanwariya, Pawan Kumar (29) from Rohtak in Haryana, was swept away by the strong current of the Ganga river. He was rescued by the SDRF team.

In another incident, the SDRF rescued a Kanwariya, Girish Kumar (45), from the river at Bairagi Camp. PTI ALM DIV DIV