Haridwar: Vinay Shankar Pandey, District Magistrate Haridwar has issued an order imposing restriction on the holy dip in river Ganga on Makar Sankranti. Citing the spurt in coronavirus cases, the state authorities have enlisted several guidelines that the citizens would have to pertain to while celebrating the Kite Festival that falls on January 14th.
“There will be a complete ban on Makar Sankranti celebration/holy dip on January 14 in view of the new variant of Covid-19, ie, Omicron,” the order read. It further delineated that even residents of the districts will not be allowed to enter the ‘Har ki Pauri’ area.
The order informed the imposition of a night curfew from10 pm -6 am on Friday. Authorities have decided to impose a complete ban on all congregations to be held during the festival. In a stern warning for those violating the rules, the district administration announced to hold legal proceedings under the Epidemic Disease Act 1897.