Chhath Puja 2021: Delhi government declares November 10 as public holiday

The Kejriwal-led government has announced a public holiday on November 10 owing to the celebration of the Chhath Puja. This news came after the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) issued an order last week regarding the celebration of the festival at a few designated sites except the banks of the Yamuna river.

In a statement released by the Deputy Chief Minister, Manish Sisodia, "Chhath Puja is an important festival for the people of NCT of Delhi. Accordingly, the Government of Delhi has decided to declare November 10, 2021, as a public holiday on account of Chhath Puja."

Earlier, the DDMA had issued a notice on September 30, putting a ban on the celebration of Chhath Puja in public places since Delhi was still recording a considerably high amount of COVID-19 cases at the time.

The banks of Yamuna have been prohibited from celebrating Chhath Puja is to prevent further contamination of the water and not to have too much crowd gathered at one place.

For the unversed, the Chhath Puja is celebrated just after Diwali by the people who belong to Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Puja involves fasting and offering the Sun god 'Arghya' early in the morning in knee-deep water by women. The festival continues over a span of three days.

Source : DNA India