Ghaziabad Kanwar Yatra: women report gaps in toilets and rest areas

At the end of a 281-km walk from Haridwar, Shavita Kumari’s feet were blistered and bandaged. The 17-year-old from Sahibabad was still heading towards Ghaziabad’s Dudheshwarnath Temple, carrying a hope beyond the pilgrimage: returning to school to complete Class X.

Shavita set out from Har Ki Pauri on July 29 with her 14-year-old brother, carrying 14 litres of Ganga water. She had left school two years earlier after her father, Nem Singh, was injured in an accident. As she neared the end of the journey, she said finding toilets and a secure place to rest had become more difficult after the group left Uttarakhand.

Her father and elder sister, Roli, joined her after learning that she had reached Ghaziabad. By then, Shavita had fallen 3 km behind her brother because of blisters on her feet.

Puja travelled with her husband, Pankaj, and said they stayed together throughout the journey. Pankaj said the route lacked adequate changing rooms and clean restrooms. He also said the number of people on the route concerned them about safety.

Twenty-one-year-old Varsha, who has undertaken the yatra since she was 16, chose to crawl towards the temple this year. She began on July 26 and said she covered about 8 km a day, setting out before dawn to avoid motorcycles and large groups travelling in trucks. She said sharing the route with vehicles and other pilgrims was risky, while waterlogged stretches had made progress difficult.

Traffic diversions are also in place across Noida and Ghaziabad.