Both the air in the national capital, Delhi, and the water in Yamuna remain poisonous. According to the Central Pollution Control Office, the air quality was recorded as “severe” in many areas on Thursday morning and the city’s AQI remained in the “very poor” category. At the same time, a thick layer of poisonous foam has accumulated on the surface of the Yamuna. Pieces of foam are seen floating in the river near Kalindi Kunj. In such a situation, amidst double pollution, people of Delhi are busy preparing for Chhath Puja.
After the continued froth in Yamuna, accusations and counter-accusations were also seen in Delhi politics. The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) claimed that the foam was a result of siltation of the Agra Canal, while the Uttar Pradesh government rejected these allegations.
Apart from this, the Delhi government issued a notification on Wednesday declaring November 7 as a holiday on the occasion of Chhath Puja. This year, Chhath Puja will be held on Thursday. This festival is mainly celebrated by migrants from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Devotees performing Chhath Puja bathe in Yamuna despite the thick layer of poisonous foam on the surface of the river and pray while facing the sun, but due to pollution, taking a dip in the Yamuna water is dangerous.
MCD preparations for Chhath
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has allocated Rs 1 crore to increase street lighting at Chhath Ghats in its 250 wards in the national capital, a statement said on Tuesday.
Each district has been given a fund of Rs 40,000 to strengthen street lighting around the Chhath Puja ghats. According to MCD, its electrical and mechanical department will deploy personnel to complete the lighting work at these ghats.
Apart from improving the lighting system, MCD also ensures cleanliness and hygiene at Chhath Ghats. Parking arrangements have also been made to provide relief to people coming to the ghats.
Also Read: Public holiday declared in Lucknow on account of Chhath, all government and private institutions to remain closed today
Artificial ghats have been built
The Delhi government has built an artificial ghat for Chhath Puja. On Tuesday, Chief Minister Atishi gave information on the arrangements made by the government regarding the Chhath festival. He told the press conference, “The Delhi government is building 1,000 Chhath Ghats across Delhi for the Chhath festival so that no one has to go more than 1-2 kilometers from their home to worship.”
Atishi said, ‘Chhath Puja, which is being organized on such a large scale, started in the last 10 years. Before Arvind Kejriwal became Chief Minister in 2014, there were only 60 Chhath Ghats in entire Delhi. But today, after 10 years, the Delhi government is building 1000 Chhath Ghats.
Chief Minister Atishi had also come to inspect Chhath on November 4. Giving this information in a social media post, he said, “I inspected the ITO Hathi Ghat, which is among the oldest and major Chhath Ghats of Delhi, in connection with the preparations for Chhath Mahaparva. This year, under the direction by Kejriwal ji, the Delhi government has organized several elephant ghats across the city. This great festival of faith is celebrated with great pomp at more than 1000 places.
He also said that instructions have been given to officials that all arrangements for the comfort and safety of devotees at all ghats, including ITO, should be completed soon.
Delhi HC decision regarding Chhath Puja in Yamuna
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to lift the ban on celebrating Chhath Puja on the Yamuna river. The court said that the level of pollution in the river is very high and will cause harm to the devotees. The court also said that proper arrangements have already been made for the devotees. The bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela rejected the petition filed by Purvanchal Nav Nirman Sansthan. In this petition, instructions were sought to give permission to perform Chhath Puja on the banks of river Yamuna.
The petitioner’s lawyer said that the ghats and the river should be cleaned for the festival, but the court said this work cannot be done overnight as it is a challenging task. After hearing the arguments, the court said nothing could be done at the last moment.
The Delhi government’s lawyer said that if devotees are allowed to perform Chhath Puja in the highly polluted river, they might fall ill. The High Court was also informed that the Delhi government has selected one thousand venues for Chhath Puja in Delhi.
Also Read: Big preparations are underway from Delhi to Patna in Chhath Puja, first half tonight.
BJP’s attack on AAP
Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva attacked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over the High Court’s comments on Yamuna pollution. He said, “The court’s observations have exposed the government’s claims about cleaning the river before Chhath Puja.”
The BJP leader alleged that hundreds of ghats built by the AAP government for the festival are not fully functional. Delhi Congress president Devendra Yadav also attacked the ruling party on the issue. He said that despite the party raising concerns over the deteriorating air and water quality in the city, Chief Minister Atishi has not taken any corrective action.
