Delhi Forms 3 Committees for Ramlila, Durga Puja, Chhath

It will coordinate the issuance of NOCs through a single-window system and oversee drinking water, medical help, ambulances, fire services, security, mobile toilets, traffic, cleanliness, fogging and uninterrupted electricity at venues. The committee will also promote messages on environmental protection, 'Vocal for Local', cleanliness, water conservation, swadeshi and the 'Nasha Mukt Bharat' campaign.

The Durga Puja Committee

Minister Kapil Mishra heads the Durga Puja committee. MLAs Shikha Roy and Neeraj Basoya, along with social workers Anjali Bhattacharya, Devdutt Bhardwaj and Arun Mukherjee, are members.

Along with similar civic and safety arrangements, this committee will ensure artificial or temporary ponds or tanks for idol immersion, and the cleaning of remnants after immersion.

The Chhath Puja Committee

Kapil Mishra also heads the Chhath Puja committee. Its members are MLAs Abhay Kumar Verma, Chandan Kumar Chaudhary, Sandeep Seharawat and Deepak Chaudhary, and social worker Santosh Ojha. It will oversee NOCs, drinking water, medical and ambulance services, fire safety, mobile toilets, security, traffic, sanitation, fogging and uninterrupted electricity at ghats and venues.

What the Chief Minister Said

Rekha Gupta said Ramlila, Durga Puja and Chhath Puja are important festivals of faith that also reflect Delhi's social and cultural diversity. She said the government's priority is to ensure devotees can celebrate with devotion while receiving adequate facilities, security, cleanliness and a well-managed environment.

Why It Matters: Ending the Permission Chase

For organisers, the single-window NOC system may be the most practical change. Ramlila committees typically need clearances linked to several services, including fire safety, police, traffic and electricity. Routing these through one coordinated channel can reduce delays and last-minute hurdles for local organisers.

The committee structure also puts elected representatives in charge of coordination. With ministers heading each panel, departments have a single point of accountability during the festive rush.

The Environmental Angle

The Durga Puja committee's mandate on artificial immersion ponds and post-immersion cleaning reflects a shift already visible in other cities, where civic bodies are steering immersions away from natural water bodies. By making clean-up an explicit responsibility, the government has placed the after-festival phase on the same footing as the celebrations themselves.

Reflecting Delhi's Diversity

The three festivals together represent different communities in the capital. Separate committees for each allow festival-specific planning, such as ghats for Chhath and immersion tanks for Durga Puja.

What Comes Next

The committees will now review and finalise venues and begin coordinating with departments on the ground. How smoothly the NOC process, immersion arrangements and ghat preparations run will be the real test of the new structure.