The Delhi government has ramped up preparations for Chhath Puja , which will be celebrated from November 13 to 16, and is set to make available 1,482 sites, including temporary water bodies, for the public to use for the rituals, said officials, adding that the Delhi assembly speaker and key functionaries oversaw the preparations at multiple sites on Wednesday.
“After clearing encroachments along both banks, permanent steps and cemented roads are being constructed to ensure that Chhath devotees and visitors can reach the ghats and perform their prayers without difficulty. “Chhath Puja holds a very special place in the hearts of lakhs of families in Delhi, particularly our Purvanchali brothers and sisters. It is a festival deeply rooted in our faith, devotion and cultural traditions.
Officials said the ghat along the canal was developed by redeveloping defunct sections of the canal, with around 1,400 truckloads of waste and filth removed. The government said that in all, 996 locations will host 1,482 ghats, including 53 locations with 81 permanent ghats, 914 locations with 1,372 temporary ghats, and 29 locations along the Yamuna , with 29 ghats. As many as 74 separate agencies have been engaged by the government and 155 projects have been awarded to set up these ghats across the city, the government said.
The chief minister’s office said that the government has developed a new Chhath ghat along the Munak Canal, which will run for around 11km — terming it the “longest Chhath Ghat in the national capital” and “first of its kind in the country” to be developed along a canal. Changing rooms, toilets, tent arrangements and adequate lighting are also being provided,” a government official, asking not to be named, said. Chief minister Rekha Gupta said the Munak Canal had been waiting for a transformation for years, and the Delhi government had changed its entire appearance in just one year. “Chhath is a festival that reflects our culture’s gratitude towards nature, the well-being and prosperity of families, and the spirit of public welfare,” she said. Public Works Department and irrigation and flood control department minister Parvesh Verma, conducting inspections of ghats, said that the Hathi Ghat at ITO has been beautified with wall paintings, repainted and filled with clean water. Our effort is to make sure that people have clean ghats, proper facilities and a safe environment , so they can focus on their prayers without worrying about basic arrangements,” Verma said.
The ghat will be inaugurated by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Nitin Nabin on Thursday in Shalimar Bagh.
