Ghaziabad DM, SSP take gov-provided chopper to shower flower petals on 'kanwarias' in district

Ghaziabad: In keeping with the novel practice started last year by the Uttar Pradesh government, Lord Shiva devotees kanwarias were on Monday showered with flower petals from a helicopter in Ghaziabad by top administrative officials.District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey and Senior Superintendent of Police Sudhir Kumar Singh took a chopper to hover all over the district and showered flower petals on kanwarias, said officials.The chopper provided by the state government took off from the Harsaon police lines ground with the two officials on board and they "rained" flower petals on kanwarias clogging various arterial roads of the city on their way back from Rishikesh with pitchers of the Ganga water from there."Besides showering rose petals, security was also monitored thoroughly by us," said Pandey."We both were connected with the police control room and we instructed officials of concerned areas to manage traffic and security there," he said."Today being the last day of kanwar yatra, the maximum pilgrims, carrying the holy Ganga water passed through the district to reach their destinations to offer the water to Lord Shiva on the occasion of Mahashivaratri tomorrow,” the district magistrate added.Stringent security were provided to the kanwarias, said Pandey, adding that paramilitary forces too were deployed in communally sensitive areas."Officers were patrolling on foot, so that no unpleasant situation may arise," the district magistrate said.BJP's Baghpat MP Satyapal Singh along with Loni MLA Nand Kishore Gurjjar also showered rose petals in Ghaziabad district on Sunday.