Coronavirus pandemic has laid waste to most of this year’s festival and the latest casualty here seems to be the Chhath Puja. Chhath Puja is an important festival that takes place in the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar regions of India primarily along with a few other places where it is also celebrated. Delhi being a cosmopolitan also has seen a lot of people who have their roots in those areas celebrate this festival. However, with the constant spike in the number of people affected by the coronavirus pandemic, many local authorities have made a decision to not allow the Chhath puja to take place. Delhi, amidst a lot of political controversies, has also made a decision not to allow a public gathering on Chhath puja. This comes in the wake of a large spike of COVID numbers in the capital. Other places like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Panchkula have also come up with their own guidelines on the Chhath Puja.
Chhath Puja also places a lot of pressure on the Indian Railways and the authorities have been trying their best to manage the crowds who gather to go back to their native places in the months of Chhath Puja.
This development comes as a disappointment to many people who celebrate this festival with a lot of joy.