'Sanatani' stickers on city shops along kanwar route
NEW DELHI: VHP has started pasting stickers on the walls of restaurants, eateries and grocery stores along roads in the city kanwariyas will take, certifying that they sell only vegetarian food items.
This comes days after tourism minister Kapil Mishra, who heads a panel of MLAs overseeing preparations for the yatra, said meat shops on such roads would remain closed. But MCD said it didn't have power to issue such an order.
The saffron stickers have 'garv se kaho hum Hindu hain' written on top and 'sanatani vyaparik sansthan' below it.
VHP state general secretary Surendra Gupta said teams were formed in each of the city's 30 districts to paste the stickers in 5,000 shops. He said it was up to the shopkeepers to display the stickers. Teams on the ground said shops run by members of minority communities were being left out.
Gupta said the Shiva devotees undertake a very "strenuous and pious" pilgrimage and must be provided with proper facilities to ensure that it does not get "corrupted". "The devotees do not even put their water containers on the ground during their yatra. If they buy anything to eat from any of these shops, they should be sure that it is as per the traditional values of sanatan dharma," he said, adding that the business owners are being asked to give "swaichchhik pramanikta" (voluntary certification) of the purity of the food items.
Though most devotees prefer to eat at the camps set up by the committees along the arterial roads, Gupta said many still buy food items from shops and eateries. Gupta said the teams were checking the food items being sold at the establishments to ensure that "traditional sanatani values " were being adhered to before pasting the stickers on those shops. He added that awareness would also be created among the Kanwar yatris to buy food items from only those shops which have the stickers of being a 'sanatani' shop.
The Kanwar Yatra started on Friday, with a large number of devotees reaching the holy city of Haridwar to collect the Ganga water. Those going to other states will start reaching Delhi in the next few days. The majority of the devotees are expected to reach the capital 3-4 days before the culmination of the Yatra with the offering of water on July 23.
Gupta said certifying 'sanatani' shops will continue even after the Kanwar pilgrimage is over. "We will make a comprehensive list of all such shops and award them certificates," he said.
This comes days after tourism minister Kapil Mishra, who heads a panel of MLAs overseeing preparations for the yatra, said meat shops on such roads would remain closed. But MCD said it didn't have power to issue such an order.
The saffron stickers have 'garv se kaho hum Hindu hain' written on top and 'sanatani vyaparik sansthan' below it.
VHP state general secretary Surendra Gupta said teams were formed in each of the city's 30 districts to paste the stickers in 5,000 shops. He said it was up to the shopkeepers to display the stickers. Teams on the ground said shops run by members of minority communities were being left out.
Gupta said the Shiva devotees undertake a very "strenuous and pious" pilgrimage and must be provided with proper facilities to ensure that it does not get "corrupted". "The devotees do not even put their water containers on the ground during their yatra. If they buy anything to eat from any of these shops, they should be sure that it is as per the traditional values of sanatan dharma," he said, adding that the business owners are being asked to give "swaichchhik pramanikta" (voluntary certification) of the purity of the food items.
Though most devotees prefer to eat at the camps set up by the committees along the arterial roads, Gupta said many still buy food items from shops and eateries. Gupta said the teams were checking the food items being sold at the establishments to ensure that "traditional sanatani values " were being adhered to before pasting the stickers on those shops. He added that awareness would also be created among the Kanwar yatris to buy food items from only those shops which have the stickers of being a 'sanatani' shop.
The Kanwar Yatra started on Friday, with a large number of devotees reaching the holy city of Haridwar to collect the Ganga water. Those going to other states will start reaching Delhi in the next few days. The majority of the devotees are expected to reach the capital 3-4 days before the culmination of the Yatra with the offering of water on July 23.
Gupta said certifying 'sanatani' shops will continue even after the Kanwar pilgrimage is over. "We will make a comprehensive list of all such shops and award them certificates," he said.
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