Kanwar Yatra: After UP, police in Haridwar ask eateries to display owners’ names
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Haridwar: All restaurants along the Kanwar Yatra pilgrimage route were ordered by the police in Uttarakhand's Haridwar district on Friday to display the names of their owners, according to ANI. The order was issued in the midst of controversy regarding a similar direction that the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh's officials had passed.
Hotels, dhabas, and restaurants have been ordered to display the identities of their owners; those who do not comply risk legal action, Senior Superintendent of Police Padmendra Dobhal informed the news agency, Scroll.in reported.
“Many a times, a situation of dispute arises due to this; hence, this decision has been taken by us,” the official said.”
According to The Times of India, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami supported the decision and questioned why anyone would wish to conceal their identity. He asserted that store owners had occasionally used fake names.
“The decision aims to create transparency and is not targeting any particular community or individual,” Dhami said. “…If someone is working legitimately, why would they use a fake name?”
According to the newspaper, Haridwar district magistrate Dheeraj Singh Garbyal stated that this was a yearly order that was routinely issued to maintain law and order.
“Maintaining law and order is our biggest concern, and we took this decision in the wake of such potential issues,” he told the newspaper.
At the ten-day Haridwar Kanwar event, numerous Muslim traders from Haridwar, Meerut, Bijnor, and Muzaffarnagar open stores. The city's municipal corporation is in charge of organising the event.
“Until this year, we did not face any problem here, and many regular kanwariyas have become familiar with us,” Mohammed Rizwan, a trader and artisan from Meerut told The Times of India. “I don't understand why the authorities made this decision, but we will follow the guidelines for conducting business. Whether our sales will be affected or not remains to be seen.”