Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today formally inaugurated the four-month Ardhakumbh mela at Har Ki Pauri here, and lashed out at the Centre for "not releasing" funds for the event.
Rawat presided over a ceremony to mark the formal opening of this year's mela, which began on January 1, and made offerings in the presence of eminent seers.
The Chief Minister lashed out at the Centre for "not releasing" funds to the state government for organising it.
However, he assured the devotees gathered here from across the country of a "trouble-free and cherishable" Ardhakumbh experience.
"Despite an attitude of utter neglect on the part of the Centre which has not released funds for the event so far, we have made all necessary arrangements for devotees out of our own limited resources and I can assure pilgrims coming to Haridwar from across the country and abroad that they will have a trouble-free and cherishable Ardhakumbh experience," Rawat said.
In September last year, Rawat had sought a special assistance of Rs 500 crore from the Centre for the safe conduct of Ardhakumbh mela.
Rawat has written several letters to the Centre and even met Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley seeking a one-time assistance of Rs 500 crore to carry out Ardhakumbh-related works of both temporary and permanent nature.
A number of saints and seers including Paramarth Niketan Chief Swami Chidanand Saraswati, Mahanths of different akharas and Mahmandaleshwarstook part in several ceremonies.
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Held in every six years, the first ritual bath of this year's Ardhakumbh is slated for January 14 on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, which will be followed by nine more baths in four months before the event concludes in April.
The ghats along the Ganga and bridges over the river have all been repaired and given a facelift for the occasion.
Against the backdrop of Pathankot air base terror attack, elaborate security arrangements have also been made with 15 companies of the central paramilitary forces deployed in the fair areas besides arrangements in place for keeping an aerial vigil on sensitive and crowded ghats like Har ki Pauri, Uttarakhand DGP B S Sidhu had said.
Sidhu had said that vigil has been stepped up along the ghats with CCTV cameras installed throughout the mela area and checking intensified.
Mobile escorts besides additional security personnel are being deployed in trains coming to Haridwar and patrolling along Uttarakhand's borders with Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have been intensified for security reasons, he had said.
