MCD to augment streetlight facilities at 500 Chhath ghats

Chhath, celebrated after Diwali, involves the offering of “arghya” by fasting devotees to the Sun god in knee-deep water.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Friday said that ahead of the Chhath puja celebrations, the civic body will augment streetlight facilities at around 500 Chhath ghats along the Yamuna, for which an amount of ₹40,000 has been set aside per ward.

New Delhi, India - Nov. 2, 2019: Devotees on the banks of the Yamuna River in an enclosed area while performing rituals and prayers on the occasion of Chhath Puja at Yamuna Ghat, ITO in New Delhi, India, on Saturday, November 2, 2019. (Photo by Sanchit Khanna/ Hindustan Times) (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

“The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has allocated an amount of ₹40,000 per ward for augmenting street lighting at Chhath puja ghats. The funds will be provided to two ghats per ward. The amount will be utilised for strengthening street lighting in and around Chhath Puja ghats. The electrical department of MCD will deploy its employees to complete the lighting work at the earliest as proper lighting will add colour to the celebration. This step is being undertaken to ensure the safety and security of women and children devotees who will come to the ghats to perform puja,” a corporation spokesperson said.

Chhath, celebrated after Diwali, involves the offering of “arghya” by fasting devotees to the Sun god in knee-deep water.

Over the last decade, Chhath has become one of the major festivals in Delhi with Purvanchalis -- people belonging to areas known as the Purvanchal -- accounting for over one-third of Delhi’s population of around 20 million, according to government estimates and migration data from Census 2011.

The number of Chhath ghats in Delhi has risen from just 72 in 2015 to 1,108 in 2019, before restrictions were imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With the impact of pandemic waning, the festival is once again expected to be celebrated with full fervour. It is estimated that services of more than 30,000 sanitation workers are annually pressed to keep the ghats clean and functional, an MCD official said.