The Bihar government will expand the Deo Chhath Mela in Aurangabad and make it tax-free, revenue and land reforms minister Dilip Kumar Jaiswal announced during the inauguration of the four-day festival in the historic Sun temple town on Friday. Around 1.5 million devotees are expected to visit the mela this year.
Jaiswal, accompanied by backward and extremely backward classes welfare minister Rama Nishad, also inaugurated a tent city for devotees. The temporary facility is intended to support visitors and vratis during the festival, which draws large crowds to the Sun temple town every year.
The state government has allocated Rs 45 lakh this year to improve facilities at the mela, according to the minister. The allocation is 50% higher than the previous year’s provision. The announcement did not specify the individual works or services that will receive the additional funding.
Jaiswal said the government would develop the mela as an expanded and organised fair. He linked the plan to religious tourism and said it would create economic opportunities for people living in and around Deo. The tax-free status is expected to form part of the government’s effort to support the festival’s expansion, although the announcement did not provide details of the taxes or charges covered by the decision.
The state will also provide a pocket allowance of Rs 1,000 each to NCC and Scouts and Guides volunteers deployed at the mela. These volunteers are part of the support arrangements for the large number of devotees expected to attend the festival.
Permanent electricity infrastructure will be developed along the Deo Mod-Deo stretch with the cooperation of local MLA Trivikram Narayan Singh, Jaiswal announced. The statement did not specify the project’s cost, construction schedule or the agency responsible for execution. The stretch is an important approach to the temple town during the festival, when visitor numbers rise sharply.
The minister further announced that 391 acres across seven villages in Kutumba block had been approved for acquisition to establish an industrial complex. The land acquisition announcement was made alongside the mela-related infrastructure plans, but no details were provided on the proposed industry, investment, implementation timeline or rehabilitation arrangements for affected landholders.
Aurangabad MP Abhay Kumar Kushwaha, Karakat MP Raja Ram Singh, local MLAs, district magistrate Abhilasha Sharma and other public representatives and officials attended the inauguration. The immediate focus of the administration remains the four-day Chhath festival and arrangements for the devotees expected in Deo.
