Construction of the ghat under way near New Ashok Nagar Metro station on Tuesday.
Chhath Puja seems to give Delhi’s politicians the perfect occasion to gain the support of about 40 lakh Purvanchali voters in the capital. As Delhi gears up to celebrate Chhath Puja on November 6-7, local politicians are leaving no stone unturned to show that they are sympathetic towards the Puravanchalis living in the city.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced last week that all Chhath ghats in the national capital would be concretised by next year’s puja. Kejriwal’s announcement is a tacit way to woo Purvanchali voters before the MCD polls scheduled for March-April 2017.
Not lagging behind, Vijender Gupta, a BJP MLA and leader of the opposition in Delhi Assembly, visited the Chhath Puja ghat at Yamuna canal in Sector 18, Rohini, on November 2. The party has elaborate plans to garner support from Purvanchalis to return to power in the MCD polls.
An East Delhi Municipal Corporation official said, “Civic bodies have made budgetary provisions for proper sanitation and lighting at the ghats.”
It appears that a few non-political associations, too, are vying for a soft spot in the public’s mind. For instance, Mithila Samaj Vikas Seva Samiti is working towards developing a pukka ghat near New Ashok Nagar Metro station.
Sachinder Chaudhari, a member of the association, said, “Concretisation is being done by UP Jal Nigam, not by the Delhi government, as this canal comes under the jurisdiction of the UP government. We have deposited Rs 5 lakh for the 20-m ghat. More than 10,000 people from New Ashok Nagar, Chilla village, Nayabas [Noida], Sector 15 [Noida] and Jhundpura [Noida] come to this ghat to celebrate Chhath Puja.”
He added that no local politician had given financial assistance for this.
The ghat is located near New Ashok Nagar Metro station at one of the banks of Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam’s canal.
