Delhi govt sets up 3 committees for Ramlila, Durga Puja, Chhath Puja 2026
Synopsis
The Delhi government has set up three dedicated committees — one each for Ramlila, Durga Puja, and Chhath Puja — to coordinate security, sanitation, traffic, and civic services for the capital's biggest back-to-back festival season. Formed on CM Rekha Gupta's directions, the panels are designed to prevent the infrastructure strain that has historically accompanied large religious gatherings in Delhi.
Key Takeaways
Delhi government has constituted three special committees for Ramlila , Durga Puja , and Chhath Puja preparations in the national capital.
Committees were formed on the directions of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to ensure coordinated civic, security, and logistical arrangements.
The Ramlila committee will be chaired by Minister Ravindra Indraj Singh ; the Durga Puja and Chhath Puja committees will both be headed by Minister Kapil Mishra .
All panels will facilitate NOC issuance through a single-window system and oversee drinking water, medical aid, traffic, sanitation, and electricity.
The Durga Puja committee will additionally manage artificial ponds for idol immersion and post-immersion cleanup.
The Delhi government has constituted three special committees to oversee preparations for Ramlila, Durga Puja, and Chhath Puja celebrations across the national capital, with a mandate covering venue finalisation, civic amenities, security, traffic management, sanitation, electricity, and medical services for devotees.
Key Developments
The committees have been formed on the directions of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and will operate as coordinating bodies across multiple government departments. Each panel will also facilitate the issuance of necessary NOCs through a single-window system, reducing procedural delays for organisers.
Who Heads Each Committee
The Ramlila committee will be chaired by Social Welfare, SC and ST Welfare, Cooperation and Election Minister Ravindra Indraj Singh, with MLAs Ashok Goyal, Anil Kumar Sharma, Shyam Sharma, Sanjay Goyal, and Sandeep Seharawat as members. The Secretary, Revenue-cum-Divisional Commissioner will serve as member secretary. Beyond logistics, this committee is tasked with promoting messages on environmental protection, the 'Vocal for Local' initiative, water conservation, and the 'Nasha Mukt Bharat' campaign at Ramlila venues.
The Durga Puja committee will be headed by Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra, with MLAs Shikha Roy and Neeraj Basoya, alongside social workers Anjali Bhattacharya, Devdutt Bhardwaj, and Arun Mukherjee as members. A key additional responsibility for this panel is overseeing the creation of artificial or temporary ponds for idol immersion and managing post-immersion cleanup.
Minister Kapil Mishra will also chair the Chhath Puja committee, whose members include MLAs Abhay Kumar Verma, Chandan Kumar Chaudhary, Sandeep Seharawat, and Deepak Chaudhary, along with social worker Santosh Ojha. This panel will focus on ensuring safe and clean conditions at ghats and festival venues, covering drinking water, fire safety, mobile toilets, security, and uninterrupted power supply.
What the Government Said
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that Ramlila, Durga Puja, and Chhath Puja are important festivals of faith that reflect Delhi's social and cultural diversity. She stated that the government's priority was to ensure devotees could celebrate 'with devotion while receiving adequate facilities, security, cleanliness and a well-managed environment.'
Impact on Citizens and Devotees
The formation of dedicated committees signals a more structured, accountable approach to festival management in Delhi, where large gatherings at Ramlila grounds, pandals, and river ghats historically strain civic infrastructure. Coordinated oversight of traffic, sanitation, medical aid, and electricity is expected to reduce the disruption that accompanies these back-to-back celebrations in October and November. With Durga Puja, Ramlila, and Chhath falling in close succession this season, the multi-committee model is designed to prevent overlap and gaps in service delivery across the capital.
Point of View
Which has historically been Delhi's weak link during festival season. Having Minister Kapil Mishra chair both the Durga Puja and Chhath committees creates a single point of accountability — useful for consistency, but a risk if bandwidth is stretched across two major concurrent events. The inclusion of social workers alongside elected MLAs is a positive signal of ground-level input, though their actual decision-making authority remains unclear. Devotees will judge the outcome not by the committee structure but by the state of ghats, traffic flow on Chhath day, and whether idol immersion sites are genuinely clean.
NationPress
26 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has the Delhi government formed three special festival committees?
The Delhi government constituted three committees — for Ramlila, Durga Puja, and Chhath Puja — to coordinate civic amenities, security, traffic, sanitation, and medical services for devotees across the capital. The panels were formed on the directions of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to ensure a well-managed and safe environment during the festival season.
Who will head the Ramlila committee in Delhi?
The Ramlila committee will be chaired by Minister Ravindra Indraj Singh, who holds the Social Welfare, SC and ST Welfare, Cooperation and Election portfolio. MLAs Ashok Goyal, Anil Kumar Sharma, Shyam Sharma, Sanjay Goyal, and Sandeep Seharawat are members, with the Secretary, Revenue-cum-Divisional Commissioner serving as member secretary.
Who is heading the Durga Puja and Chhath Puja committees?
Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra will chair both the Durga Puja and Chhath Puja committees. The Durga Puja panel includes MLAs Shikha Roy and Neeraj Basoya and three social workers, while the Chhath committee includes MLAs Abhay Kumar Verma, Chandan Kumar Chaudhary, Sandeep Seharawat, and Deepak Chaudhary.
What specific arrangements will the Chhath Puja committee oversee?
The Chhath Puja committee will manage NOC issuance, drinking water supply, medical and ambulance services, fire safety, mobile toilets, security, traffic management, sanitation, fogging, and uninterrupted electricity at ghats and festival venues across Delhi.
What is the single-window NOC system mentioned for festival arrangements?
Each committee is tasked with facilitating the issuance of all necessary No-Objection Certificates through a centralised single-window system, designed to simplify and speed up permissions for festival organisers and reduce procedural delays across multiple departments.
