CM Rekha Gupta forms 3 committees for Durga Puja, Ramleela, Chhath preparations

The Delhi government constituted three special committees to oversee preparations for Ramleela, Durga Puja and Chhath Puja in the city, with ministers, MLAs and social workers tasked with finalising venues and coordinating arrangements for the festivals.

The committees, constituted on the directions of chief minister Rekha Gupta, will coordinate with various departments and district administrations to ensure arrangements for civic amenities, security, traffic management, sanitation, electricity and medical services at festival venues.

“Our objective is to ensure that devotees and organising committees do not face any inconvenience during these major festivals. All necessary arrangements should be completed on time so that the festivals are conducted with convenience, security, cleanliness and harmony without disturbing regular traffic movement,” Gupta said.

The committee for Ramleela preparations will be headed by social welfare minister Ravindra Indraj Singh. MLAs Ashok Goel, Anil Kumar Sharma, Shyam Sharma, Sanjay Goel and Sandeep Sehrawat have been appointed as members, while the revenue-cum-divisional commissioner will be the member secretary.

The panel will facilitate necessary no-objection certificates through district magistrates under a single-window system. It will also oversee drinking water, medical and ambulance services, fire safety, mobile toilets, traffic management, cleanliness, fogging and uninterrupted electricity at Ramleela venues.

The Durga Puja committee will be headed by art and culture minister Kapil Mishra. MLA Shikha Roy, MLA Neeraj Basoya and social workers Anjali Bhattacharya, Devdutt Bhardwaj and Arun Mukherjee will be its members. Besides coordinating civic and safety arrangements, the committee will oversee artificial or temporary ponds and tanks for idol immersion and ensure that leftover material is cleared after immersion.

Mishra will also head the committee for Chhath Puja preparations. MLAs Abhay Kumar Verma, Chandan Kumar Chaudhary, Sandeep Sehrawat and Deepak Chaudhary, along with social worker Santosh Ojha, will be members.

The Chhath committee will coordinate arrangements at ghats and other venues, including water, medical aid, ambulances, fire services, toilets, security, traffic, sanitation, fogging and electricity. The committees have also been tasked with promoting messages on environmental protection, cleanliness, water conservation, Vocal for Local, Swadeshi and the Nasha Mukt Bharat campaign during the festivals.