The Delhi government has declared November 16 a public holiday across the national capital to mark Pratihar Shashthi, also known as Surya Shashthi or Chhath Puja. An official confirmed the decision on Tuesday.
All government offices, schools, colleges, autonomous bodies, and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) under the Delhi government will remain closed on Monday, November 16, according to an official notification from the General Administration Department.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) will also observe the holiday, the official said.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta earlier announced that the government plans to prepare more than 1,400 Chhath ghats across Delhi this year. The city had 1,326 ghats last year.
Meanwhile, BJP President Nitin Nabin is scheduled to inaugurate an 11-km-long Chhath ghat along the Munak Canal on Thursday.
The Delhi government has formed a committee led by Art and Culture Minister Kapil Mishra to supervise preparations for the four-day festival, which begins on November 13.
The committee includes MLAs Abhay Kumar Verma, Chandan Kumar Chaudhary, Sandeep Sehrawat and Deepak Chaudhary, along with social worker Santosh Ojha.
It will coordinate essential arrangements, including drinking water, medical facilities, ambulance services, fire safety, security, traffic management, sanitation, mobile toilets, fogging and uninterrupted electricity. The committee will also oversee necessary no-objection certificates (NOCs) for the festival venues.
Chhath Puja holds special significance for Delhi’s nearly 40-lakh-strong Purvanchali community, which celebrates the festival with prayers and offerings to the Sun God.
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