North Bengal dists gear up for Chhath Puja festivities

Siliguri/ Jalpaiguri/ Malda: Siliguri, a city known for its diverse cultural tapestry, is witnessing a unique blend of traditions as Chhath Puja will take the centre stage in the next few days. The festival, traditionally celebrated by the people of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, has now become a significant event for the city’s Bengali population, transcending religious and cultural boundaries.

This year, Siliguri is going the extra mile to commemorate the grandeur of Chhath Puja. The Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) has initiated a project to document the festival through a film. The administration will use drone cameras to capture the festivities from unique aerial perspectives.

The decision was spurred by the city’s growing reputation as a major hub for Chhath Puja celebrations, second only to Patna, Bihar. “Chhath Puja is celebrated with utmost devotion in Patna. After that, Siliguri is the city where Chhath is organised on a large scale. We aim to preserve the essence of Siliguri’s Chhath Puja in a documentary format,” said Gautam Deb, Mayor of Siliguri.

The city’s numerous rivers, including the Mahananda, Fuleswari, Jorapani, Panchanai and Sahu rivers, provide ample space for Chhath Puja rituals. There are around 85 registered Chhath ghats.

However, the increasing popularity of the festival has led to the creation of artificial ghats in several wards to accommodate the growing number of devotees. SMC has conducted cleaning drives at the river banks and making ghats. Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) is also making some ghats.

“We have cleaned several kilometers of the Mahananda River bank and constructed a new ghat using sandbags. A dedicated team with 15 JCBs and 45 workers is working tirelessly to complete the preparations,” said Manik Dey, Member of Mayor-In-Council of the Conservancy department of SMC.

Malda is gearing up for Chhath Puja with stringent security arrangements along the Mahananda River. To manage the growing number of devotees, CCTV cameras will be installed on both banks and drones will monitor the ghats. Both Old Malda and English Bazar municipalities are actively preparing.

The district administration is also deploying speedboats and police for river surveillance, ensuring safety as the water level is higher than

usual this year.

In Jalpaiguri, District Magistrate Shama Parveen stated: “Chhath ghats will be equipped with facilities for women, including bathrooms. Medical teams, police, fire brigade and civil defense departments will also be stationed at dedicated camps to assist attendees,”

she stated.