Overview
- Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the government will discuss the proposal with priest groups and review governing laws, including a 1916 pact linked to Madan Mohan Malviya.
- The plan under consideration would expand existing limits at Har-ki-Pauri to all 105 ghats across roughly 120 square kilometers before the January 2027 Ardh Kumbh.
- Shri Ganga Sabha president Nitin Gautam urged exclusive access for Hindus at Kumbh-area ghats, while VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi pressed for curbs citing security risks.
- Local voices, legal practitioners and Manglaur MLA Qazi Nizamuddin called a blanket restriction unworkable and damaging to livelihoods in a city that saw 3.49 crore visitors in 2024.
- No formal rules have been enacted, and the state is also studying a move to designate Haridwar and Rishikesh as ‘sanatan’ holy cities.