Haridwar, July 24 -- A record 45 million Kanwariyas visited Haridwar during the 13-day Shravan Kanwar Mela held from July 11 to 23, officials from the Kanwar Mela cell said on Wednesday, adding that the number surpassed last year's footfall of 41.4 million pilgrims and 40.7 million in 2023. Officials said the final tally was still being updated as pilgrims continued to arrive and leave the city till late evening. To mark the successful completion of the mela, district magistrate Mayur Dixit and senior superintendent of police (SSP) Pramendra Dobhal offered prayers at Brahmakund, Har-ki-Pauri, and at Shri Daksheshwar Mahadev temple in Kankhal. "The mela concludes with over 4.5 crore devotees collecting Ganga water. We thank all devotees, Mela staff, police, paramilitary forces, volunteers, and residents for their cooperation," said Dixit.Later, the officials met Mata Mansa Devi temple trust president Mahant Ravindra Puri and thanked the ascetic community and akhadas for their support. Amid concerns over garbage accumulation at the ghats, Dixit said a three-day cleanliness drive will be carried out across the mela zone, Kanwar patri, highways, parking lots, and marketplaces. "Pilgrims and residents must be sensitised against littering. Ganga is our mother, and polluting her banks goes against our beliefs," said Mahamandleshwar Swami Harichetnanand of the Bada Udasin Akhada. As the yatra comes to an end, police said that according to official data, a dozen FIRs were registered, 17 people arrested and 150 unidentified kanwariyas booked for hooliganism and indulging in violence during the Kanwar yatra. The state police deployed 3,000 policemen, 1,350 home guards and PRD , 15 companies of PAC, nine companies of paramilitary forces, nine teams of bomb disposal squad, four teams of the anti-terrorist squad, 10 teams of SDRF, 10 teams of drones operating personnel, and seven teams of jal police during the Kanwar yatra. The mela was monitored round-the-clock through drones and CCTVcameras....