Chhath Puja to be held at 1,100 sites across Delhi, govt allocates Rs 25 cr: CM Arvind Kejriwal

“People could not celebrate any festivities for the last two years due to Covid and lockdown. But this year, the government has planned Chatth Puja on a big scale as things are getting back to normal. Before our government was formed, Chhath Puja celebrations were held on a small scale,” said Kejriwal, alluding to the Rs 2.5 crore budget allocation by the then Congress government.

The Chief Minister said that the festival was celebrated at 69 places before the AAP came to power in 2014. “Before we came to power, Chhath was a mere formality for the government. But, now, we will celebrate Chhath on a bigger scale across 1,100 sites in Delhi and we have allocated Rs 25 crore,” said Kejriwal.

“People were caged inside their houses over the past two years. The entire cost of the celebrations will be borne by the government,” he added.

दिल्ली इस बार बड़े स्तर पर मनाएगी छठ महापर्व। सभी सुविधाओं के साथ दिल्ली में बनेंगे 1100 घाट। Press Conference | LIVE https://t.co/5Q5x0lADmF

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 14, 2022

The Chhath Puja is celebrated on October 30-31. Kejriwal further said the government will make all arrangements from police security to water and power backup arrangements.

“Delhi Police will provide security arrangements to prevent any kind of untoward incidents and ensure other arrangements like health, ambulance services, power back up etc. CCTV cameras and LED screens will also be installed across all sites,” he added.

Kejriwal appealed to the public to follow and adhere to Covid rules and appropriate behaviour, including wearing masks even though fines have been lifted. “The intensity of the cases may have come down, but Covid is still present. I appeal to the public to follow Covid guidelines and appropriate behaviour..,” he said.