After Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand: Police in Haridwar say eateries along kanwar yatra will have to display owner name

In Uttar Pradesh, the order is expected to affect eateries not just in Muzaffarnagar but along the entire route of the yatra. “The order for displaying names on eateries and roadside carts was also implemented last year. The orders are meant to be compiled with to ensure peace in and around districts on the route. Police will take care of the security of kanwarias in Meerut, Baghpat, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Shamli and Muzaffarnagar districts,” said Dhruv Kant Thakur, Additional Director General of Police, Meerut Zone.

In Haridwar, Senior Superintendent of Police Pramendra Dobhal said, “During the kanwar yatra, disputes often arise due to shops not mentioning the name of the proprietor. Many times, the yatris object to this. To address this, all shops, restaurants, hotels, dhabas and street vendors on the route will be verified by the Haridwar police. We are also pushing for the names of proprietors to be clearly displayed. The QR codes will mention the same.”

The decision was taken following a series of meetings with stakeholders in the district. According to a statement issued by the district police, SSP Haridwar organised a meeting on Thursday to review tasks assigned to gazetted officers.

During the meeting, officials were instructed to inspect hotels, dhabas, and food shops on the highway and ensure rate lists are displayed and QR codes included. Information on police force deployment, goods and equipment required and drone availability during the yatra were also discussed.

In a separate statement, the Bhagwanpur police station said that a meeting was organised with hotel and dhaba owners/ operators in view of the upcoming yatra, and they assured full cooperation.

The guidelines issued in the meeting include prohibiting the use of meat, eggs, garlic and onions in hotels and dhabas, banning consumption of liquor and intoxicants, requiring food rate lists to be displayed prominently, and ensuring a QR code in the operator’s name is available for payment.

— With ENS, Meerut