The Delhi government on Friday announced plans to make arrangements at 1100 places for the ‘Chhath Puja’, which will be held a week after Diwali.
‘Chhath Puja’ is a festival which is celebrated with fanfare in Northern India. Hordes of people offer prayer before sun by standing in a river or pond.
Delhi Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot on Friday held a review meeting on the preparations of ‘Chhath Puja’ in Delhi. The meeting was attended by Burari MLA Sanjiv Jha, Divisional Commissioner and all the District Magistrates in Delhi.
During the meeting, Gahlot told the department to make sure that devotees should not face any inconvenience. He also directed the officers to ensure smooth management and organization at all the 1100 sites of the ‘Chhath Puja’ celebrations.
In Delhi, the revenue department is the nodal agency responsible to organise ‘Chhath Puja’ in a safe and eco-friendly manner. The department will make the necessary arrangements for paraphernalia such as tents, chairs, tables, lighting, sound system, CCTV, LED screens and power back-up at all the Puja sites.
Furthermore, it will coordinate with other departments of the Delhi government such as the Irrigation and Flood Control Department (I&FC) and Delhi Jal Board (DJB) for clean water arrangements, Health Department for primary health services and deployment of Ambulances, DUSIB for Mobile Toilet Vans (MTVs), Delhi Police and CDV for safety and security, Traffic Police for Traffic Management and MCD for sanitation and cleanliness.
The Delhi government has expanded the celebration of ‘Chhath Puja’ to 1100 sites from 69 sites in 2014. The budget has also been increased 10 times from 2.5 crore in 2014 to approx 25 crore this year to facilitate lakhs of devotees in offering their prayers on the occasion.
In a statement to the media, Gahlot said, “Under the leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, we are committed to ensure a grand celebration of ‘Chhath Puja’ in Delhi. This year, the scale of the celebrations will be unprecedented. We are ready with appropriate arrangements to ensure smooth execution of the arrangements.”
He further stated popularity of ‘Chhath Puja’ has grown tremendously, especially in Delhi, and so is the commitment of the Delhi govt towards the devotees of ‘Chhath Puja’.