On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court also rejected permission for devotees to carry out Chhath Puja at the Yamuna river bank in Geeta Colony, stating serious risks to the river’s health due to high pollution levels.
The bench headed by Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela responded with serious concern for the safety of the people intending to attend the annual ritual.
The court said: “It will be very harmful to you. The reality, however, is that this river is so polluted that if one wades into it, one might be injured. We can’t allow that. Apart from that, the river also has a high pollution level.” This comes after the authorities expressed concern about the quality of water in Yumuna, which is believed to contain dangerous substances for human health.
Like all functional religions, Chhath Puja is one of the prominent festivals celebrated in Delhi, where the rituals require worshippers to carry out their worshipping by the side of the river. However, the objective of this decision is to serve the public interest of safeguarding the health of the people from the dangerous impact of necessary immersion in highly polluted water.
The court’s banning of the puja at the river bank also raises awareness about the problem of pollution in the Yamuna River, with concerns being raised about the environmental quality of water and the authorities’ incompetence in preventing water pollution with rising levels. However, pollution in the river remains a problem that has not been solved by clean-up efforts and remains a challenge for the government and the people of Delhi.
In this regard, authorities have called on the public not to carry out any religious activity within the vicinity of the river and make arrangements to conduct a safer puja for the community.
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