In its bid to ensure better and smoother management of the Kanwar Yatra, which is expected to be joined in by over one crore devotees, the administration has launched  Kanwar Yatra Management App this year.

While launching the Kanwar Yatra Management App on Monday, Divisional Commissioner Anita C Meshram said that this is free of cost android based mobile app which can be downloaded from Google Play Store.

“The idea behind the app is to ensure that the Yatra is conducted smoothly besides having an effective control on different facilities provided to the kanwarias during the yatra period,” informed Meshram.

Every year with the commencement of the Hindu month of Sawan during monsoon, Kanwar Yatra starts which concludes on Shivratri which is on July 30 this year. Lakhs of devotees, coming from different parts of north Indian states, converge at Hardwar to collect the holy water of Ganges which they offer to Lord Shiva on the auspicious day of Shivratri, walking all the way to their respective home towns with the holy water (called Kanwarias) on their shoulders.

The number of Kanwarias coming on the Yatra has been rising every year. A sea of Kanwarias could be seen walking on the streets with Kanwars on their shoulders. Many, however, go in the vehicles in groups which is called  Dak Kanwar.

In view of the heavy rush of the Kanwars, the Delhi-Hardwar Highway is closed for normal traffic for almost a week. Managing the Yatra and its peaceful administration has always been a challenge for the administration as it passes through the districts of Ghaziabad, Hapur, Meerut, Muzzaffarnagar and parts of Saharanpur.

Hence, to have a hassle-free Yatra, the idea of a Mobile App was introduced by commissioner Meshram. She thought of making use of the mobile phone which is very commonly used these days so that the Kanwars and all the organising units could be connected with each other during the Yatra. This would also enable the devotees to make quick and easy use of different facilities available for them.

The App contains details of health centres, hospitals, camps for kanwarias, police assistance, temples where they could rest and offer ‘jal’ etc. There are some filters as well on the App that could be used by the Kanwarias to reach out to the facility they require. The App also has contact numbers of officials and staff on duty and they could be easily contacted at the time of an emergency.

Confident of the success of the App, the commissioner has issued an appeal to all the kanwarias to use the App so that they could keep themselves connected to the officials and staff on duty. This would ensure every possible help immediately without any delay as and when they need it.