The Chhath festival is set to get back its old flavour and will be celebrated this year along the Yamuna at all the 1,100 ghats in the city.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has approved the proposal by Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot to allow the celebration of Chhath Puja at different ghats along the Yamuna in Delhi, an official statement said.
In view of the approval, directions have been issued to all district magistrates that additional measures may be taken for ensuring that no polluting material is immersed in the river, it said.
Measures including banners, posters, audio messages at sites, deployment of CDVs may be employed for ensuring the guidelines issued by the NGT, it added.
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Earlier, a concern had been conveyed regarding construction of Puja ghats near the Yamuna and the offerings by the devotees at such ghats, which might lead to pollution in the river.
Various orders/instructions issued by the National Green Tribunal as well as the directions issued by National Mission for Clean Ganga had been brought to the notice of the government, the statement said.
This year, the government has set up 1,100 ghats along the river. Chatth Puja is traditionally celebrated by offering water to the 'Sun God' and no other material is required to be offered or immersed in rivers, canals and ponds.
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The district administration will also ensure that messages for following the guidelines for cleanliness of the Yamuna, apart from other usual messages, may also be displayed on LED systems at all Chhath ghats on the Yamuna, the statement said.
Deployment of Civil Defence Volunteers shall also be done at all ghats to facilitate the movement of devotees, it said.
"Chhath Puja will be celebrated like before on the ghats of Yamuna. Orders have been given to all the officers that all arrangements be made to ensure that Yamuna is not polluted," Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi.
Thanking the chief minister, Gahlot tweeted, "I thank Chief Minister Shri Arvind Kejriwal for allowing Chhath Puja on the ghats of Yamuna. With the blessings of Chhathi Maiyya, we will ensure this time a grand celebration of Chhath Puja at all the 1,100 Ghats in Delhi."
(With PTI Inputs)
