Chhath Puja 2025: Dehradun Administration Sets Up Special Facilities At Three Riverbanks, Focuses On Cleanliness, Safety

The Dehradun district administration has begun large-scale preparations for Chhath Puja, one of the most significant festivals of faith, with arrangements being made on a scale comparable to the Kumbh Mela. For the first time, special facilities are being set up at three major locations along the riverbanks to ensure that devotees observing the fast face no inconvenience during the celebrations.

District Magistrate Savin Bansal said the administration, along with the police, Municipal Corporation, Energy Corporation, and Irrigation Department, has been assigned specific responsibilities for the festival preparations. City Magistrate Pratyush Singh has been made the nodal officer for all three venues and is overseeing arrangements at Chandrabani and Tapkeshwar Temple, while Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Sadar) Har Giri is in charge of the site under the Premnagar bridge.

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Preparations include street lighting, mobile toilets, and temporary changing rooms for women. Bonfires will also be lit in the early mornings and evenings due to the cold weather. The Chief Medical Officer has been directed to deploy ambulances at each site to provide immediate medical aid if required.

Recognising the growing Purvanchali population in Doon and their deep cultural connection to Chhath, the administration has decided to set up temporary ghats at three key locations, under the Tons River bridge in Premnagar, at the Tamsa River ghat near Tapkeshwar Temple, and in the courtyard of Chandrabani Sevlakalan Temple. Adequate facilities will be provided wherever flat riverbanks are available to enable devotees to perform rituals comfortably.

The Municipal Corporation has been tasked with cleaning the ghats and providing sanitation facilities, while the Energy Corporation will handle lighting arrangements. The Irrigation Department is responsible for constructing changing rooms and beautifying the ghats, in coordination with the Tourism Department. SP City Pramod Kumar has been directed to ensure strong security arrangements.

Dehradun currently has 22 Chhath ghats, including major ones at Tapkeshwar, Chandrabani, Raipur, Kesarwala, Gullarghati, Selaqui, Harbhajwala, Maldevta, Premnagar, Pathribagh, Brahmapuri, Nathanpura, Bhandari Bagh, and Single Mandi.

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This year, Chhath Puja will begin on October 25. The four-day festival, dedicated to Chhathi Maiya and the Sun God (Surya Dev), is celebrated with great devotion, especially by people from Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh. The rituals begin with Nahay Khay, followed by Kharna, and the Nirjala fast. Devotees offer arghya to the setting sun on the third day and to the rising sun on the final day, praying for happiness, prosperity, and well-being.

Meanwhile, the state’s first Chhath Park in Brahmapuri is fully prepared to welcome devotees. Developed under the Amrit scheme in 2021 for Rs 74 lakh on 5.5 bighas of land, the park includes a dedicated kund (pool) and a canal for offering water to the Sun God. The facility is expected to provide significant convenience to worshippers during the festival.