The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has intensified inspections and sanitation preparations at more than 1,400 Chhath Puja ghats across the capital after officials found accumulated waste along parts of the Yamuna riverbank and floating garbage near Haathi Ghat at ITO.
East Zone deputy commissioner Azharuddin Zaheeruddin Qazi reviewed preparations at Haathi Ghat and directed officials to clear the riverbank immediately. He also asked them to coordinate with the Irrigation and Flood Control Department to remove floating waste from the Yamuna using motorised boats.
The inspection comes as civic agencies prepare public spaces used by devotees during Chhath Puja. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi said sanitation arrangements at Haathi Ghat were satisfactory and that workers had been deployed for regular cleaning. However, the inspection identified waste on the riverbank and in the water, requiring action before the festival.
MCD officials were also directed to ensure the prompt removal of construction and demolition waste from all ghats. The instruction places responsibility on the civic administration to address not only routine litter but also debris that can obstruct access, affect cleanliness and reduce the usable space available to devotees.
Preparations were reviewed at several other locations across Delhi. In southwest Delhi, MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat inspected ghats in Sagarpur and Mahavir Enclave. In west Delhi, ward committee chairman Harish Oberoi and deputy commissioner Col Vinod Atri reviewed arrangements at New Krishna Park ghat in Vikaspuri.
The inspections cover multiple municipal zones, reflecting the citywide scale of the preparations. MCD has directed all zones to complete arrangements on time, including the installation of lights and placement of dustbins at the ghats. These facilities are intended to support sanitation operations and manage waste generated by visitors during the festival.
The focus on the Yamuna riverbank also highlights the operational challenge of preparing temporary or festival-use public spaces where routine municipal cleaning must be combined with work by other departments. At Haathi Ghat, MCD officials were specifically asked to coordinate with the Irrigation and Flood Control Department for floating-waste removal, indicating that cleaning responsibilities extend across civic agencies.
For devotees, the arrangements will determine the condition of access points and worship areas at the ghats. The reported deployment of sanitation workers, planned dustbins and additional lighting form part of the facilities being put in place across the 1,400-plus sites.
MCD has said that officials in all zones have been instructed to finish preparations on schedule. The next operational milestones are the completion of cleaning, removal of construction and demolition waste, installation of lights, placement of dustbins and clearance of floating waste near the inspected Yamuna sites.
