Public holiday declared in this UP city on Tuesday: Government offices, schools closed — Here's why

Residents of Uttar Pradesh’s Chitrakoot district will get an extra day off on Tuesday as the district administration has declared a local public holiday for the Diwali Amavasya Mela. The decision comes amid preparations for a five-day religious fair that draws large numbers of devotees to the pilgrimage town.

According to reports, District Magistrate (DM) Pulkit Garg issued an order declaring November 10 as a holiday in the entire district. Government offices, schools and colleges will remain closed on Tuesday. Copies of the order have been circulated to all concerned departments and the officials have been notified of action for non-compliance.

Quick answers to key questions

•5 QUESTIONS

The district administration has declared a holiday to facilitate arrangements and activities for the Diwali Amavasya Mela, a five-day annual fair held in Chitrakoot from November 6 to 10.

Yes. Government offices, schools and colleges in Chitrakoot district were ordered to remain closed on Tuesday, November 10.

No. Holidays vary by city. The RBI calendar indicated closure on November 10 in Ahmedabad, Belapur, Bengaluru, Dehradun, Gangtok, Mumbai and Nagpur, while branches in other cities were expected to function as normal.

It is an annual five-day religious fair held at Chitrakoot. The district holiday was declared to support measures and activities related to the fair.

Yes. Internet and mobile banking, UPI and ATM services remain generally available for routine transactions. Services that require a personal visit to a branch are unavailable during branch closures.

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The holiday has been declared to facilitate arrangements and activities related to Diwali Amavasya Mela, the order said.

Preparations are underway for the Diwali Amavasya Mela

Preparations for the annual fair held in Chitrakoot, a religious town associated with Lord Ram, have been underway for several days. The five-day annual fair takes place this year from November 6 to 10. According to reports, the city administrations in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are overseeing the arrangements on their respective sides.

Collector Satna Dr. Satish Kumar S and Superintendent of Police Hansraj Singh recently visited Chitrakoot to review the preparations. During their inspection, they visited Bharat Ghat, Raghav Prayag Ghat, Pontoon Bridge, Utara Bridge, Hanuman Dhara and Fair area under Chitrakoot Town Council.

The Collector also directed officials of the tourism department to conduct a special cleanliness drive at the ghats and adjoining areas. He further asked the Municipal Council to repaint the railings on the Utara Bridge and the ghats to improve their appearance.

Security and crowd management are among the administration’s key priorities. Approximately 1,000 police officers were assigned duties at the fair. Besides, teams from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Home Guards have been deployed to help in crowd management and emergency rescue operations.

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Teachers’ organizations have been pushing for public holidays across Uttar Pradesh

Last week, teachers’ organizations urged the Uttar Pradesh government to declare November 7 (Saturday) and November 10 (Tuesday) as public holidays. This year, November 7 is celebrated as Narak Chaturdashi, while November 10 is celebrated as Govardhan Puja. The organizations argued that the absence of holidays on these occasions would make it difficult for people to celebrate the five-day festival of Diwali with their families.

Shiv Shankar Singh, state president of the National Education Federation, Uttar Pradesh (primary wing), and its general secretary Pradeep Tiwari have written to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to request public holidays for both the days.

They said keeping November 7 and 10 as working days would cause difficulties for teachers, government employees and students who want to celebrate the festivals with their families. While Narak Chaturdashi was declared a holiday last year, no such announcement was made this time.

The organizations also pointed out that November 10, falling before Bhai Dooj, was not declared a holiday for Govardhan Puja. They argued that if schools are kept open on this day, it will be difficult for students and their families to celebrate the festival.