Delhi CM announces 11-km-long Chhath ghat along Munak Canal

New Delhi: Chief minister Rekha Gupta reviewed Chhath preparations on Monday and announced that Delhi will feature an 11-km ghat along the Munak Canal from the Outer Ring Road to Inderlok

New Delhi: Chief minister Rekha Gupta reviewed Chhath preparations on Monday and announced that Delhi will feature an 11-km ghat along the Munak Canal from the Outer Ring Road to Inderlok.

Officials said that the Capital will have over 1,400 Chhath ghats this year, compared with 1,326 last year (Sanchit Khanna/ HT)

Officials said that the Capital will have over 1,400 Chhath ghats this year, compared with 1,326 last year. They added that Chhath Puja will be celebrated from November 13 to 16 this year.

Chairing a review meeting, CM Gupta said the government aims to provide devotees with a clean, safe, and convenient environment to offer prayers during the festival.

She said, “A special attraction for Delhiites this year will be an 11-km-long Chhath ghat, which is being developed along the Munak Canal. The ghat will have steps on both sides and a concrete road to ensure convenient access for devotees from several adjoining Assembly constituencies. BJP national president Nitin Nabin will inaugurate the ghat near Singalpur village on November 12.”

The CM added that over 1,400 ghats are being prepared for Chhath Puja in Delhi this year. “We have directed officials to complete basic preparations at the ghats well in advance so that only tasks such as filling them with water, setting up tents, and cleaning remain towards the end. District administrations and concerned departments have been asked to regularly inspect the ghats in their respective areas and immediately address any shortcomings,” she added.

Considering the November cold, the government will arrange tents at large and medium-sized ghats, officials said. “Changing rooms and toilets are being set up at all major ghats. Adequate lighting along the routes leading to the ghats and CCTV cameras at entry and exit points will also be added,” an official said.

With an estimated population of over four million in Delhi, Poorvanchalis have emerged as a major cultural and political community in the city over the last decade. The observance of the Chhath festival — six days after Diwali — in public places has grown proportionally. The festival has also been a point of political contention between the AAP and the BJP, with both parties wooing the substantial vote bank.

Every year, Chhath celebrations trigger political controversies surrounding water pollution levels in the Yamuna, froth formation in the Okhla section, and the use of defoaming agents.

Last year, a much larger quantity of fresh water was released into the Yamuna to flush down pollutants instead of routing water to the eastern and western canals as usual.

An irrigation and flood control department official said that the spraying of defoaming agents has already started. “We have kept around 200,000 liters of solution on standby, and it will be used based on requirement and the scale of froth formation,” the official quoted above added.