The Munak Canal Chhath Ghat in Delhi was inaugurated on Thursday ahead of the four-day festival, with the newly developed site designed to accommodate more than 30,000 devotees at one time, according to officials cited by Live Hindustan. The inauguration took place a day before the festival began with Nahay Khay on Friday.
The project covers an 11-kilometre stretch along the Munak Canal and has been described by the organisers as the country’s longest Chhath ghat. The development includes ghats on both sides of the canal, service roads, bridge works, road widening, lighting, landscaping and beautification. The reported cost of the wider project is Rs 115.29 crore.
The facility was inaugurated by Bharatiya Janata Party national president Nitin Nabin and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. The event was attended by Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra, Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh, MPs and other ministers, according to the report.
Sahib Singh said the site would be able to host more than 30,000 devotees at a time. The complex is also intended for public use throughout the year, with parks, parking facilities, modern lighting and space for cultural events. Gupta said the government was developing an area that had remained neglected for years and that she would visit the ghats to offer prayers during the festival.
The works are being implemented across several locations along the canal. Around three kilometres of ghat and canal rejuvenation work has been completed in the Shalimar Bagh Assembly constituency, while work is continuing across 2.5 kilometres in the Wazirpur area. An inspection road linking the Outer Ring Road to Prembari Bridge is reported to be 62% complete and is intended to provide alternative connectivity along both sides of the canal.
Bridge-related works are also part of the project. The Singlepur bridge is being widened into a double-lane structure and is reported to be 88% complete. A new double-lane bridge is being built at Haiderpur to replace an older single-lane crossing. A six-lane bridge has also been proposed near Singlepur village to connect Shalimar Bagh and Pitampura.
The project includes plans for boundary walls, tree planting, landscaping and parking between the Outer Ring Road and Inderlok Metro station. The infrastructure is being opened as Delhi prepares for increased movement around ghats, markets and residential areas during Chhath celebrations.
Safety and crowd-management arrangements have been announced at other city ghats as well. The Chhath Puja Committee Delhi Pradesh at ITO said it had arranged food, drinking water and rest areas for devotees. Organisers said divers and four to five boats would be deployed, while CCTV cameras would be used for surveillance. At the Mithilanchal Chhath Puja Committee at Astha Kunj Park in Nehru Place, 20 to 25 volunteers have been assigned to assist visitors.
Markets in Paharganj, Laxmi Nagar, Shahdara, Mandawali, Kondli, Okhla and Sonia Vihar have begun selling festival items, including bamboo baskets, winnowing trays, earthen stoves, fruits and other पूजा सामगी. The report said prices for baskets and trays in Paharganj began at around Rs 100 to Rs 120. The next phase of the project will involve completing the ongoing road and bridge works and expanding the planned public amenities along the canal.
