‘No water’ at Chhath ghat sparks protest in Delhi

Another protester, Kamal Chettri (40), accused the government of making “false promises”. “All the people protesting here have been fasting since the last two days. Every year, at least the ghat was cleaned, but this time nothing has been done, even after they promised grand celebrations (on Chhath),” he said.

Jagriti, whose mother is observing the Chhath fast, is agitated due to alleged lack of response from the government. “Vote lene ke liye toh janta ke pair chune aa jaate hai, aur phir baad mein humari chappal ghiswa dete hai,” she said, also recalling how until Covid she had been celebrating the festival at the same ghat with “all facilities in place”. “This is a very precious festival of ours,” she said.

Bittu Kumar echoed the same concern. “The government has been making announcements since the last 10 days regarding Chhath Puja celebrations. They also deployed JCBs here and installed tents, but where is the water? How can the minister, one day before the festival, come and say that he would not allow water to be released?” he said, showing a video of Delhi minister Kapil Misha who visited the ghat recently.

Meanwhile at the ghat, devotees were seen preparing their Chhath ‘sthals’, using spade to clear garbage and broom to clean dust.

“Even if they provide water through tanks, I will be happy. Since Covid, we have been celebrating the festival at our terrace,” another woman said while fixing a bamboo stick at her ‘sthal’.

The Indian Express did not receive a response from Delhi ministers Kapil Mishra and Parvesh Verma.

Chhath celebrations started on October 25 and will conclude on Tuesday.

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