Delhi will observe a public holiday on November 16 for Chhath Puja, while the city is preparing more than 1,400 ghats for the four-day festival, according to an official notification and statements from the Delhi government. The holiday will apply to all Delhi government offices, autonomous bodies and public sector undertakings.
Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu issued the order declaring November 16 a holiday on the occasion of Chhath Puja. The decision will affect the functioning of government offices and institutions under the Delhi government at a time when large numbers of devotees are expected to visit riverbanks, canals and other designated पूजा sites across the capital.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government is preparing more than 1,400 ghats this year, compared with 1,326 ghats arranged last year. The increase is part of a broader effort to provide designated spaces for worship and manage the movement of devotees during the festival.
One of the largest preparations is a proposed 11-kilometre-long ghat along the Munak Canal. According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office, the ghat will stretch from the Outer Ring Road to Inderlok and is being described as Delhi’s longest. Its inauguration is scheduled for November 12 and will be carried out by Bharatiya Janata Party national president Nitin Nabin, according to the report.
The Munak Canal site is being prepared with steps and concrete roads on both sides to facilitate the movement of devotees. These features are intended to provide more structured access to the water edge and reduce congestion around the worship areas, although the report does not provide details of the expected footfall or the capacity of individual ghats.
The Delhi government has said that preparations are focused on convenience, safety and sanitation. Facilities planned at the ghats include changing rooms for women, closed-circuit television cameras at major locations, lighting, tents and round-the-clock cleaning arrangements. The measures place public-space management and temporary infrastructure at the centre of the city’s preparations for the festival.
The Chief Minister chaired a high-level review meeting before the festival and instructed officials to give priority to the convenience, security and cleanliness of devotees. The government’s statement said the four-day festival will begin on November 13 and continue through November 16. The report also refers to preparations and observances beginning from November 12, when the long Munak Canal ghat is scheduled to be inaugurated.
The public holiday is limited, according to the notification details reported, to Delhi government offices, autonomous bodies and public sector undertakings. The supplied report does not specify arrangements for private workplaces, schools, transport services or emergency operations. Further operational details will depend on instructions issued by the concerned departments and local authorities.
The next scheduled milestone is the November 12 inauguration of the Munak Canal ghat, followed by the four-day Chhath Puja observance from November 13 to 16. Officials are expected to complete sanitation, lighting, surveillance and access arrangements before devotees begin arriving at the designated ghats.
