PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Haridwar
The Haridwar district administration has acted against encroachments on the route to the Chandi Devi temple in the city. The action comes a few days after the Mansa Devi stampede which claimed eight lives and injured more than two dozen people.
The Chandi Devi temple is also frequented by multitudes and the path to the temple was narrowed due to encroachments by shopkeepers. On Tuesday, encroachments on the route to the temple were marked and removed after a joint inspection by the district administration officials along with officials of the Forest department, temple committee and other departments concerned accompanied by the police.
The officials conducting the inspection found that many of the shopkeepers had encroached beyond the area permitted to them for their business. The shopkeepers had displayed their wares on the route which was causing inconvenience to the visitors to the temple. The authorities had issued notices to the encroachers in the past.
Considering the seriousness of the situation, especially considering the recent tragedy at Mansa Devi, the authorities stepped up their action with the Shyampur police station booking fiver persons. According to the police, these encroachments had drastically narrowed down the approach to the temple which had increased the risk of an accident.
