Delhi CM Rekha Gupta reviews Chhath Puja preparations, says cases against devotees will be withdrawn

“All FIRs under IPC Section 188 [disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant] registered in 2021 against people, who were celebrating Chhath at the Yamuna, will be withdrawn by my government,” she also said.

Gupta announced a series of measures for the celebrations, including setting up of tents, mobile toilets, medical and water facilities, and a large-scale cleanliness drive at ghats along the Yamuna. Gupta said staffers will be deployed to maintain cleanliness at the mobile toilets, and that all public representatives, including MPs and MLAs, will participate in the special cleaning drive. Defoamers have also been used to prevent froth formation in the river, she added.

Gupta wrote on X, “Chhath is an eternal tradition of faith, discipline, and motherhood. We are determined to ensure that every devotee and devotee in Delhi enjoys a clean, safe, and divine environment.”

According to Gupta, the number of spots designated for the celebrations has gone up from 929 to over 1,000 following proposals from local committees.

Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, meanwhile, also visited the Chhath ghat at ITO on Wednesday to review the preparations. “This cleanliness drive is not limited to the Yamuna ghats alone — it is being carried out across the city … the preparations are being done on a grand scale,” he said.

The Delhi government had last month decided to allow the celebration of Chhath Puja on both banks of the Yamuna, with a caveat: Only worship will be permitted, not immersion.

The CM on Wednesday also inspected the preparations for the festival at Sur Ghat in Wazirabad and the Chhath ghats being constructed along the Munak Canal from Prembari Bridge to the AYU Block in North Delhi. Earlier this month, she had visited Kalindi Kunj to review preparations for the festival scheduled to take place from October 25 to 28.

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