1,000 Chhath ghats ready, says Rai

NEW DELHI, 09/11/2018: Gopal Rai inspecting the Chhath Ghat at ITO ahead of Chhath Puja Celebration , in New Delhi on Friday. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma / The Hindu

The Delhi government has made arrangements for devotees at 1,000 ghats for Chhath Puja, which is next week, Development Minister Gopal Rai said on Friday.

Mr. Rai inspected one of the ghats near ITO on Friday to check on the preparations. According to the Delhi government, there were 60 ghats before the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation came to power in 2015.

Last year, the government said it had made arrangements at 600 spots for Chhath Puja.

Delhi has around 40 lakh Poorvanchali residents, hailing from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, who observe the festival and also play a key role in local polls.

Last year, the AAP government had made a special financial provision in the 2017-18 Budget for setting up sufficient numbers of Chhath ghats across the city.

(With PTI inputs)