Haridwar, July 11 -- Millions of Kanwariyas have already started arriving in Haridwar, marking the beginning of the two-week annual Shravan Kanwar Yatra, which will begin on Friday and continue till July 23, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday. Officials expect the footfall to exceed 40 million this year, making it one of the largest religious gatherings in the country. The influx has already begun on a massive scale, said officials from the mela control room. The mela administration, in coordination with police, civic, and disaster management departments, has launched large-scale preparations. Traffic restrictions, sanitation measures, temporary parking arrangements, and heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces are all in place to manage the rising crowds. SSP Haridwar Pramendra Dobhal said that over 42,000 vehicles can now be parked across temporary lots set up within a 7km radius of Har-ki-Pauri. "Our planning is designed to ensure smooth movement and safety of kanwariyas. As crowds swell, local traffic will be restricted and e-rickshaws and autos may be halted from plying depending on the congestion levels," he added. He said major parking zones included Bairagi Camp (for 15,000 vehicles) and several others like Neeldhara, Gauri Shankar, Laljiwala, Chamkadar, Alaknanda, Motichur, Pantdweep, and Rishikul Ground. The Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay multi-storey lot with 1,250-car capacity will also cater to the pilgrims, he added. The Haridwar municipal corporation has deployed 1,000 sanitation workers to ensure round-the-clock cleanliness of ghats, markets, and roads. "We have divided the Kanwar route into seven zones, appointed zonal sanitation inspectors, and installed over 300 portable toilets. Drone surveillance will monitor waste and hygiene in real time," said municipal commissioner Nandan Kumar....