Pauri Garhwal (Uttarakhand) [India], July 5 (ANI): Ahead of the Kanwar Yatra, authorities in Pauri Garhwal district on Saturday carried out a joint inspection of the pilgrimage route and directed urgent upgrades to infrastructure and safety measures.

The inspection was led by District Magistrate Swati S Bhadauria, who was accompanied by the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and teams from the electricity, roads, and water departments.

'Today, we inspected the whole Kanwar Yatra route with the SSP and the whole team of electricity, road, and water. A detailed inspection was conducted of the pedestrian road, temple, parking area, and toilets,' Bhadauria told ANI.

She also pointed out a few areas requiring immediate attention.

'There is a big parking lot of the Zila Panchayat where there is a slight shortage of toilets. We have also directed them about the solar lights on the pedestrian walk, while directions have been given for the safety of elephant-prone zones and dangerous zones,' she added.

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand State Health Department has also prepared a comprehensive action plan to ensure pure and safe food is provided to the lakhs of devotees expected to participate in the yatra.

According to an official release, special teams of food safety officers have been deployed in Haridwar, Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri and Uttarkashi districts. These teams will regularly collect samples of milk, sweets, oil, spices, beverages, and other items from the pandals and send them to laboratories for testing. If any sample does not meet the standards, the concerned place will be closed immediately.

Additional Commissioner of Food Safety and Drug Administration Tajbar Singh Jaggi stated that the government has made it clear that no leniency will be shown to those conducting food business without a license. Those who adulterate or violate the rules will face penalties as well as criminal action.

According to the statement, the government has implemented strict arrangements to provide pure and safe food to the devotees during the Kanwar Yatra 2025. Health Secretary and Commissioner of the Food Safety and Drug Administration, R. Rajesh Kumar, stated that in this regard, some important mandatory instructions have been issued to all hotels, dhabas, carts, and other food vendors operating on the travel routes. Every food trader will have to put a clean copy of their license or registration certificate in a prominent place in their establishment so that consumers can easily see it. (ANI)