One akhada announces conclusion of Kumbh on April 17

New Delhi, Apr 16: The Panchayati Niranjani Akhada, one of the 13 akhadas announced the conclusion of the Kumbh on April 17 in wake of the number of COVID-19 cases increasing.

"Given the situation of the pandemic in Haridwar, we have taken the decision to conclude the Kumbh on April 17," Ravindra Puri Maharaj, secretary of the Akhada said according to an ANI report.

He also said, " regarding the shahi snan on April 27, we will take steps in accordance with the decision of Akhada Parishad. A bunch of sadhus will participate in the fourth shahi snan from our akhada."

In the current scenario, overcrowding is not appropriate. Many of our staff and sadhus have fallen ill, the ANI report also said while quoting Kailash Giri, Acharya Mahamandeleshwar.

2,167 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in Haridwar, where the Kumbh Mela is going on. The numbers include both RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen Test reports of devotees and seers of different akharas (ascetic groups) over the five-day period in the entire Mela Kshetra extending from Haridwar to Devprayag, Haridwar Chief Medical Officer Shambhu Kumar Jha said on Thursday.

More RT-PCR test reports are awaited and the trend shows that the number of infected persons in the Kumbh Mela Kshetra is likely to climb to 2,000, he said.

The Kumbh Mela area is spread over 670 hectares covering parts of Haridwar, Tehri and Dehradun districts, including Rishikesh.

A majority of the 48.51 lakh people who took part in the last two royal baths (Shahi Snan) held on the occasion of Somwati Amavasya on April 12 and Mesh Sankranti on April 14 were seen openly violating COVID norms like wearing of face masks and social distancing.

Despite their best efforts, the police could not impose the standard operating procedures (SOPs) on the seers of akharas and the ash-smeared ascetics thronging Har Ki Pairi ghat on the two major bathing days due to severe time constraints.

As the 13 akhadas had to take their holy dip at Har ki Pairi in accordance with their allotted time slots before sunset, the police and paramilitary personnel were hard-pressed to ensure each of them vacated the ghat before the arrival of the next akhada in line to prevent chaos.

As seers were averse to undergoing RT-PCR tests till the Mesh Sankranti Shahi Snan of April 14, both testing and inoculation in the Kumbh Kshetra including the areas allocated to the akhadas are likely to be stepped up in the coming days, Jha said.