On November 6, the canal near New Ashok Nagar Metro station was witness to a crowd of about 30,000, hailing mainly from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, which had gathered for Chhath Puja.
However, going ahead with the puja was not easy, as there was a lot of dust at the venue. Moreover, the water in the canal was highly contaminated. But despite that, devotees performed the puja.
The street near New Ashok Nagar Metro station was busy with Chhath devotees
Savita Devi, a resident of Sector 18, Noida, said, “It is my first Chhath Puja in Delhi. I won’t be drinking a single drop of water for 36 hours.”
When asked how she managed to stay in the foul-smelling water of the canal for 30 minutes, she said, “What option did I have? Chhath mata [mother] gives us strength.”
The quality of water was a concern for devotees. Reeta Rani, another devotee at the puja, told City Spidey that she had been doing this for the past 10 years and was aware of the problem.
When City Spidey spoke to the Mithilanchal Chhath Puja organising committee about this, they said sanitation was not in their hands. “This is UP Jal Nigam's responsibility,” said Sachinder Chaudhary, secretary of the committee.
A view of the ghat on the evening of November 6
Meanwhile, the Delhi government and the East Delhi Municipal Corporation were ready to address any untoward incident at the venue. About 50 volunteers from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were seen at the venue. Several private organisations had also set up stalls for the assistance of devotees.
For instance, Indian Oil had deployed about 20 volunteers. About 20 students with medical kits from the Delhi Paramedical and Management Institute (DPMI) were also present. Kapil Kumar, a student of DPMI, said, “We are here to offer first aid, in case anybody needs it.”