Delhi to ready over 1,400 Chhaṭh ghats this year, with basic work due by 6 November
The government also plans to invite foreign ambassadors to the festival and has declared 16 November a public holiday.
- The Hindu
- Indian Express
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday directed officials to finish basic preparations for Chhaṭh Pūjā at all ghats by 6 November and to inspect the sites in person, The Hindu reported. More than 1,400 ghats are expected across Delhi this year, up from 1,326 last year, according to the Chief Minister's Office, and 16 November will be a public holiday.
Ms. Gupta said only tasks such as filling the ghats with water, putting up tents and final cleaning should remain after the deadline, and that major arrangements must be ready at least two days before the festival. The four-day festival begins on 13 November, with the heaviest footfall expected at the ghats on 15 and 16 November, the Indian Express reported.
The Delhi government plans to invite foreign ambassadors this time and asked officials to work with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations to find a venue for them. Given the chance of cold weather, covered tents are to be set up at large and medium ghats, with extra tents at major model ghats.
The Chief Minister asked for adequate toilets and changing rooms for women, round-the-clock sanitation teams, no dark spots on approach roads and CCTV at all major ghats. Model ghats are to get gates visible from main roads and LED screens showing Chhaṭh content.
Officials discussed crowds at railway stations and bus terminals as people travel to Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, and were asked to coordinate with the Railways. The Hindu noted that the Delhi stretch of the Yamuna is among the most polluted in the country, while many devotees from Purvanchal take a holy dip in the river during the festival.
Key data
Over 1,400 ghats planned (1,326 in 2025); basic work deadline 6 Nov 2026; festival begins 13 Nov; peak days 15 and 16 Nov; 16 Nov declared a public holiday.
Why it matters
For lakhs of Purvanchali families in Delhi, Chhaṭh means standing in water to offer arghya to the setting and rising sun, so clean, safe and well-lit ghats decide whether the vrata can be kept with dignity. The state of the Yamuna remains the larger test.
GK: did you know?
Chhaṭh is dedicated to Sūrya and Chhaṭhī Maiyā; its main evening arghya falls on Kārttika Śukla Ṣaṣṭhī, six days after Dīpāvalī, which gives the festival its name.
