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Delhi: Organisers to arrange ponds for Chhath festivities, Yamuna out of bounds
The authority further said designated sites shall be identified and managed by the respective district magistrates in coordination with the agencies concerned.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Friday prohibited Chhath Puja celebrations along the banks of river Yamuna and said all such festivities will be allowed only at designated sites in the national capital.
Chhath, celebrated after Diwali by people belonging to Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, involves the offering of prayers to the sun god by fasting women, while standing in knee-deep water. Since these ritualistic prayers are not allowed on the banks of the Yamuna this year, communities will arrange ponds for devotees, after obtaining due permission from the district magistrate concerned.
“The celebration of Chhath Puja during the month of November shall be allowed only at designated sites outside containment zones with requisite permission from the district magistrate. No site shall be designated on the bank of river Yamuna,” read the DDMA order, issued by chief secretary Vijay Dev, on Friday.
The authority further said designated sites shall be identified and managed by the respective district magistrates in coordination with the agencies concerned. The DDMA order also said at designated sites, the puja material offered by devotees should be collected by the municipal authorities and other relevant agencies for immediate and proper disposal in a scientific manner. “All devotees shall be strictly prohibited from throwing puja material like food grain, oil etc into river Yamuna. It shall be ensured that no such material is permitted to join the main stream of river at any point,” the DDMA order said.
It also asked all organisers of Chhath Puja to submit an undertaking to the district magistrate, agreeing to strictly adhere to the guidelines of the National Green Tribunal and the Yamuna monitoring committee.
Wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing, using hand sanitisers will be mandatory for all devotees at all times, the DDMA said, adding that both devotees and organisers will have to follow guidelines issued by the Union ministry of health and family welfare in October last year.
Earlier, in an order dated September 30, the DDMA had prohibited Chhath celebrations in public places in view of the threat posed by Covid-19.
But the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged protests across the city and also outside the residence of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, demanding that Chhath celebrations be allowed.
Later, on October 14, Kejriwal wrote to lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal requesting him to allow Chhath Puja celebrations in Delhi, following which the DDMA, earlier this week, gave its nod for festivities.
