Ahead of the festival, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday announced that the Delhi government will develop 17 model Chhath ghats along the Yamuna and withdraw all cases filed in previous years against devotees who performed Chhath Puja on the riverbanks.The CM also inspected several Chhath ghats to review the preparations for the upcoming festival and asserted the festival would be full of divinity this time.
Addressing a press conference at the Delhi Secretariat, Gupta said the government has made extensive arrangements to ensure that this year’s Chhath Puja is celebrated with the same devotion and grandeur as Diwali, in a clean, safe, and sacred environment.
“Earlier, Chhath Puja was not allowed on the Yamuna banks, but this year we have permitted it for devotees. We will nullify old complaints and withdraw such cases from our side,” the chief minister said.
She added that while 929 ghats were set up last year, the number has now risen to over 1,000 across the city, with 17 large model ghats along the Yamuna and at least one model ghat in each sub-division.From Palla to Kalindi Kunj, the model ghats will range from half-a-kilometre to one-and-a-half-kilometres in length, depending on local population, an official statement said.
Each ghat will be equipped with tents, lighting, clean drinking water, sanitation, mobile toilets, and medical vans, while floral showers and grand entry gates will welcome devotees.More than 200 ghats will also host cultural programmes in Bhojpuri and Maithili to celebrate the spirit of Chhath Puja.Gupta said all MPs, MLAs, and councillors have been directed to participate in a Swachhta (cleanliness) campaign at ghats in their respective constituencies.
“The earlier government imposed restrictions on people's faith, but our government respects it,” she said. Rejuvenating the Yamuna was one of the core promises of the BJP in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly polls held in February. In the polls, the saffron party made a comeback to power in the national capital after 27 years, defeating the AAP, which ruled the city for 10 years.Chhath Puja, a four-day festival dedicated to the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya, will be celebrated from October 25 to October 28 this year. The festival holds special significance for the Purvanchali community, which constitutes a large section of Delhi’s population.
“Just as Delhi made history this Diwali with a spectacular Deepotsav and drone show, this year’s Chhath will also be both divine and grand,” Gupta said."Delhi is no longer just the political capital of India; it is becoming the capital of faith," she added.
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