Prayagraj-KVD corridor opens for kanwariyas
, with the auspicious month of Shrawan commencing on Friday.
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After ensuring enforcement of traffic diversions and briefing the police and paramilitary forces deployed for Shrawan security and crowd regulation exercises, police commissioner Mohit Agrawal said on Thursday evening, "A dedicated corridor created for pilgrims from Prayagraj to Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi has been operationalised. Apart from reserving lanes of highways and other roads to create this corridor for safe movement of kanwariyas, we have set up a police outpost at a gap of every 5kms.
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Security personnel, including quick response teams, will be present throughout the stretch. He added that in case of any problem or even health issues, kanwariyas and pilgrims will be allowed to halt at those outposts, where facility of first aid is available. "The entire route will be under CCTV surveillance, while drone cameras will also be used for monitoring crowd and movement in the corridor," he added.
Around 2,000 police personnel have been deployed in and around Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
Agrawal added that five companies of CRPF, seven companies of PAC and one team of ATS had been deployed. There is barricading in entire Kashi Vishwanath Dham and routes leading to it. "The area around the temple, from Rampura to Godowlia and Maidagin to Godowlia, has been designated as a no-vehicle zone," he said. Parking arrangements have been made in nearby areas for pilgrims, from 500 metres to 1.5km away.
Agrawal said on Saturdays and Sundays, the crowd is bigger, while on Monday, queues are formed as early as 2 am, hence, extensive arrangements had been made to handle the crowd.
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CEO of Kashi Vishwanath Dham, Vishwa Bhushan Mishra, said for residents of Kashi, temple administration had created a new route, Kashi Dwar, for accessing the temple to offer prayers between 4 am and 5 am and from 4 pm to 5 pm daily, except on Mondays during Shrawan.
He made it very clear that 'Sparsh Darshan' (offering prayer by touching the deity) would not be available to anyone until the end of Shrawan and appealed to pilgrims and kanwariyas not to be misled by anyone promising to arrange it for them.
The temple has made arrangements for live broadcasts of sanctum sanctorum's rituals on LED screens in Kashi Vishwanath Dham as well as at city crossings. Temple officials will stream rituals live on YouTube, allowing devotees worldwide to witness them.
The CEO also appealed to devotees not to bring mobile phones, bags, pens, smartwatches, electronic devices, etc., into the temple. Due to crowds, free lockers and baggage counters will not be operational. Leave your belongings at a secure place like your home, hotel, or lodge was advisable. "Do not join the queue on an empty stomach, as it may affect your health and if anyone demands money for special access, inform the nearest police or temple staff," said Mishra.
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