G N G GROUP

Haridwar: Despite the heavy footfall of pilgrims in the wake of the ongoing Char Dham yatra, the authorities have not made sufficient arrangements to provide potable water to devotees in Haridwar city, including the Harki Pauri area.
Many pilgrims, who come from rural areas to take a dip into the river during festivals, have often expressed disappointment over the lack of tap water arrangements, saying that they have to buy multiple water bottles at their own expense, which is not feasible. Social activist Ravish Bhatija told, "It is a tough task for the pilgrims to search for public taps in Haridwar. There are only a few water posts in Haridwar city, but most of them are out of order or encroached by the locals. Pilgrims are thus forced to buy bottled water."
Meanwhile, the executive engineer of Jal Sansthan Haridwar told, "We have stopped installing new public tap stand posts to avoid wastage of water as the taps are often stolen or people do not close the taps after use. However, we have many old stand posts in Haridwar city which are fully functional."