Vice Chairperson, Delhi Jal Board, Somnath Bharti, in an interview with Ashish Srivastava says Chhath Puja has assumed greater grandeur under AAP regime, discusses measures to ensure safety of the devotees, Yamuna pollution and control efforts. Excerpts:
Chhath Puja is around the corner. There is a ban on celebrating on the banks of the Yamuna over pollution. What is the Delhi Jal Board, nodal body for making the arrangements, doing to ensure hassle-free celebrations?
Delhi government has earmarked 1,200 locations to celebrate the Chhath Puja. We provide all the amenities to these spots, including a tent, stage, lighting, prasad and music system to the devotees. In addition, we are building 70 model Chhath ghats, one in each constituency, which will also be equipped with all the amenities. I will ensure that people have a safe Chhath celebration. In my constituency, we have set up 11 Chhath ghats. Besides, we are open to local Chhath samitis to approach us for any kind of assistance. I was recently approached by IIT Delhi, which asked us to assist them in preparing a Chhath ghat inside the institute campus. With such preparations, we can ensure and encourage people not to go on the banks of the Yamuna. Chhath is happening at a grand scale now, and under our regime, it has turned into a festival of the city.
Are you giving credit for the grand celebration of Chhath Puja to the AAP? This festival was celebrated under previous regimes too.
I’m not saying that the celebrations were not held before, but we have been successful in making people exercise their freedom to celebrate all festivals without hesitation. Irrespective of faith, if a person wishes to celebrate Eid, Durga puja or Chhath puja, our government provides all support. In our regime, Chhath puja has evolved from a community festival to a city-wide festivity.
Are you alleging that previous regimes, including Congress, did not do enough to ensure religious liberty?
Well, I’m only saying that the AAP is a better enabler.
According to experts, Chhath puja falls when pollution levels are at their peak. What steps have been taken to make the situation better?
We have taken significant steps. But if the neighbouring states don’t coordinate and the Centre doesn’t look beyond politics, our efforts don’t bear the expected fruit. We would like Prime Minister Modi to call a meeting of all stakeholder states and create a plan to tackle pollution together with a fixed accountability. If it happens, the crisis will be solved in months. But they BJP are more interested in politics than the groundwork. It’s a multidimensional problem. Coordination from neighbouring states and public participation is very much required to address the crisis. Eventually, pollution is a leveller. It can’t be contained by boundaries, religion or any other parameters of division. Rather than talking politically, we should be addressing it holistically.
Can you be specific about the measures taken to ensure safety of the devotees?
In all nearby areas of the Chath Puja, we are taking measures to mitigate dust and smoke. We will deploy sprinklers from Delhi Jal Board water tankers. We will also take help from other agencies for this task, like the Public Works Department. Also, arrangements will be made for dust collection machines and fire brigade. Besides, there is also a high possibility of the rain on November 20. Chath Puja will be observed on this day, so I hope these measures will suffice.
The toxic foam of the Yamuna River has been an annual sight and a grave concern for people looking to take a ritual dip to conclude Chhath Puja. Are there any measures in this direction?
The issue is near the Kalindi Kunj barrage, where the water falls downstream from a significant height, which exacerbates the reaction, and we see massive froth in the river. We have taken measures previously and even this year. Our teams of engineers will ensure that the foam disappears from the river.We sprayed harmless chemicals which we will continue this year. Also, we have roped in an agency which has provided a solution to dissolve the foam. I’m certain that these measures will ensure a harmless dip to the devotees.