NEW DELHI: Mayors of north and east corporations in Delhi on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, directed officials to ensure that proper arrangements are made for people who are set to celebrate the upcoming Chhath festival.
Chhath Puja, a four-day festival, is celebrated in Delhi largely by people hailing from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh or 'Purvanchalis'.
It has been considered an important vote-bank by all major parties here.
This year, it falls in early November.
The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) had recently given its nod to allow Chhath Puja in Delhi.
The authority had further said that designated sites shall be identified and managed by the respective district magistrate in coordination with departments agencies concerned.
"No site shall be designated on the banks of river Yamuna," the DDMA order had said.
Meanwhile, North Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh held a meeting with senior officials on Monday on the preparations for the upcoming festival.
He directed officials to ensure proper facilities are available for devotees.
Though DDMA has issued the order that ghats shall not be used for observing the rituals of the festival, the mayor "directed deputy commissioners of all zones to ensure that all the Chhath ghats, falling in the jurisdiction of the NDMC are cleaned up".
Also, proper lighting arrangements for evening, mobile toilets, fogging be done to prevent spread of vector-borne diseases, especially in the morning and late evening, at ghats and deployment of mobile dispensaries at ghats be made, he was quoted as saying in a statement by the North DMC.
North DMC Standing Committee Chairman Jogi Ram Jain said "the corporation will give Rs 25,000 to its councillors for Chhath Puja arrangements".
Purvanchalis are considered a major vote-bank in Delhi, and all parties attempt to woo them.
Civic elections are due in Delhi next year.
Also, East Delhi Mayor Shyam Sunder Aggarwal held a special meeting with senior officials to review the preparations for Chhath Puja.
He directed officials to ensure proper cleanliness, water sprinkling, fogging, and deployment of mobile dispensaries at Chhath ghats.
EDMC Standing Committee Chairman Beer Singh Panwar said a large population of Delhi celebrates Chhath festival with a lot of spirit.
The corporation is respectful of their religious beliefs and devotion, he said.
The mayor also appealed to the citizens to cooperate with the corporation and adopt COVID-appropriate behaviour during the festival.
Meanwhile, in another development, North Delhi Mayor Singh on Monday handed over appointment letters to eligible special educators appointed in the corporation, officials said.