Delhi forms high-level panel to oversee Chhath Puja preps

New Delhi: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has formed a high-level committee to oversee the preparations for Chhath Puja 2025 across Delhi, marking a major step toward celebrating one of the city’s most significant cultural festivals with renewed grandeur. The committee will be chaired by Minister of Art, Culture and Tourism Kapil Mishra, who has promised a large-scale, well-organized celebration at nearly one thousand locations this year.

The committee will be responsible for identifying suitable sites for the festival, ensuring arrangements for safety, sanitation, transportation, lighting, and medical facilities. It will also review preparations across various parts of the national capital before submitting its report to the government. The committee includes four MLAs, Abhay Kumar Verma (Laxmi Nagar), Chandan Kumar Chaudhary (Sangam Vihar), Sandeep Sehrawat (Matiyala), and Deepak Chaudhary (Badli).

Upon being appointed as Chairman, Kapil Mishra said, “Chhath Puja is not only the cultural identity of Purvanchal but also of Delhi. It symbolizes our collective faith and unity. Unfortunately, previous governments deliberately disregarded the faith of millions of devotees. However, this time, the Delhi Government aims to ensure that every devotee can perform the rituals in a safe and respectful environment.”

He added that the government’s focus would be on ensuring cleanliness, safety, and smooth management at all ghats. “We will make sure that all ghats have the best possible arrangements for cleanliness, safety, traffic management, lighting, and medical facilities,” he said.

Highlighting the importance of the festival for the city’s Purvanchali community, Mishra noted that the celebration would take place at around one thousand sites, including the Yamuna riverbanks, the Munak Canal, and several artificial ponds. Departments have been instructed to ensure water sprinkling, cleanliness drives, traffic regulation, and medical support for devotees. “The Irrigation Department has been tasked with removing water hyacinth from the Yamuna to ensure clean water for the rituals,” he stated.

Calling for public cooperation, Mishra urged citizens to celebrate with enthusiasm and discipline. “Chhath is not merely a festival but an important symbol of Delhi’s cultural heritage, and together we will make it a grand

success,” he said.

“Just as the Kanwar Yatra was successfully organised under my supervision, I consider it my privilege to oversee this event as well.”

He concluded that this year’s celebration would mark a new era in Delhi’s festive spirit, “The previous governments did injustice to the devotees of Chhathi Maiya, but now the spirit and scale of the festival will be completely transformed.”