After Delhi Govt, MCD opens its kitty for Chhath festival

“The funds will be allocated to two ghats per ward and the electrical department of MCD will deploy its employees to complete the lighting work at the earliest as proper lighting will add colours to the celebration and will ensure safety and security for people coming to the ghats to perform pooja,” said the official.

MCD officials have also been asked to ensure to look after the sanitation and cleanliness arrangements at the Chhath ghats so that people can celebrate festivities in a neat and clean environment, said the official. The civic body will also make arrangements for parking at Chhath ghats in order to provide relief to the people coming to the ghats, he added.

Chhath Puja is tied to politics in the national capital as it is one of the major festivals of Purvanchalis, who constitute more than 30 per cent of the city’s population. People from Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are believed to be in the majority in 16 of 70 Assembly seats in the Capital, as per a survey of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Delhi Government and BJP leaders in charge of the MCD spent large sums of money to prepare Chhath ghats.

With Covid-19 cases under control, the MCD and Delhi Government have once again allocated resources for the festival.

Before MCD’s announcement Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said the AAP government has allocated Rs 25 crore for the Chhath Puja celebrations and made arrangements for people to observe the festival at 1,100 sites across the national capital.

“People could not celebrate any festivities for the last two years due to Covid and lockdown. But this year, the government has planned Chhath 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,” Kejriwal had said.

Chhath will be celebrated from October 28 to 31, this year.