Ahead of the Chhath festival, the UP government has initiated extensive arrangements to ensure smooth celebrations for devotees. Urban Development and Energy Minister AK Sharma reviewed preparations with senior officials of the Urban Development and Energy Department at his camp office.
Minister Sharma emphasised that Chhath is a festival of faith and public sentiment, and all arrangements must be completed on time to avoid inconvenience to devotees. He instructed officials to ensure cleanliness, fogging, disinfectant spraying, proper levelling of ghats, and adequate lighting arrangements. Roads leading to the ghats must be repaired, potholes filled, and traffic routes made safe.
Sharma also directed the Energy Department to ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply throughout the festival. Special focus will be on temporary lighting, high-mast lights, and electrical safety at ghats and worship sites. Control rooms are to remain active 24 hours, and feeders and transformers must be inspected in advance to prevent technical faults.
Officials from the Urban Development Department were instructed to complete levelling, cleaning, drainage, and road repairs promptly. Municipal bodies are tasked with arranging temporary changing rooms, barricades, drinking water, toilets, and waste disposal facilities at all ghats. Fire-fighting and medical teams will also be deployed to handle emergencies.
“Maintaining the dignity of the city and ensuring the convenience of devotees are our highest priorities,” Sharma said.
The review meeting was attended by Principal Secretary, Urban Development, P Guru Prasad; Director, Urban Local Bodies, Anuj Jha; Director, SUDA, Apoorva Dubey; Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation, Ashish Goyal; MD, Pankaj Kumar; and other senior officials.