Delhi will observe a public holiday on November 16 for Chhath Puja, while more than 1,400 ghats are being prepared across the capital for the four-day festival, according to a government notification and statements from Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
The holiday order was issued by Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and will apply to all Delhi government offices, autonomous bodies and public sector undertakings. The decision is expected to affect the functioning of government services and offices on the final day of the festival.
The preparations also represent a significant expansion in the number of designated Chhath sites. The Delhi government said more than 1,400 ghats are being readied this year, compared with 1,326 last year. The sites are intended to support devotees carrying out rituals near water bodies and temporary public facilities across the city.
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 facility will stretch from the Outer Ring Road to Inderlok and is being described by the Delhi government as the capital’s longest ghat. Its inauguration is scheduled for November 12 and will be conducted by Bharatiya Janata Party national president Nitin Nabin, the statement said.
The government said the Munak Canal ghat will have steps on both sides and a concrete road to support the movement of devotees. The arrangement is being presented as a measure to improve access and circulation at a major festival site, where large numbers of people are expected to gather.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta chaired a high-level review meeting before the festival and directed officials to prioritise facilities, safety and cleanliness for devotees. The government said changing rooms for women, closed-circuit television cameras at major ghats, adequate lighting, tents and round-the-clock cleaning would be arranged at the sites.
The source material gives two different timelines for the festival. An earlier summary describes Chhath celebrations as running from November 12 to 16, while the government statement cited in the report says the four-day festival begins on November 13 and continues through November 16. The public holiday itself is clearly specified as November 16 in the notification.
The expansion of designated ghats places responsibility on multiple agencies to coordinate temporary public infrastructure, crowd movement, sanitation, lighting and safety arrangements. The Delhi government’s stated next steps are the completion of the ghats and associated facilities before the festival begins, with the Munak Canal site scheduled for inauguration on November 12.
