VARANASI: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered a special cleanliness drive from November 20 to 25 and boat safety preparations during a review on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, of arrangements for Ganga Mahotsav and Dev Deepawali. The directions affect the riverfront from Namo Ghat to Assi Ghat, neighbourhoods around the main festival venues and residents using the city's ponds and kunds.
The review set out arrangements for Ganga Mahotsav at Namo Ghat from November 20 to 23, followed by Dev Deepawali on November 24. For residents planning an outing, the practical point is that the programme involves several locations, river traffic controls and parking arrangements. Choose the venue before arranging transport, and check the final police instructions closer to the visit.
Boat operators were to be engaged and trained for safe operations. Visitors should confirm where a boat will board and return before making a booking. The review described a two direction movement system between Namo and Assi ghats, while the festival's medical preparations include a corridor connecting major hospitals. These are announced arrangements for the festival period, rather than evidence that every measure is already operating.
River movement and crowd management
Officials presented a plan dividing the ghat area into 10 zones, 21 sectors and 36 subsectors, with officers responsible for their respective areas. Watchtowers, quick response teams, divers and surveillance were included in the preparations. The divisions give the administration a framework for managing separate stretches of a long riverfront instead of treating the gathering as one crowd at a single venue.
The river plan provides separate directions for outward and return journeys. The two way system is planned between Namo and Assi ghats to reduce congestion on the river during the celebration. Rescue preparations include water ambulances and a floating rescue station at Chet Singh Ghat, alongside personnel deployed for river safety.
The transport plan also includes 31 parking locations. Officials described traffic diversions and a medical corridor linking major government and private hospitals. A count of parking locations does not identify the most suitable parking place for an individual journey; residents should use the location specific traffic notice when it is issued.
What is planned at each venue
Ganga Mahotsav will have cultural programmes on each of its four evenings at Namo Ghat. The chief minister directed officials to give local artists priority. The review also called for greater participation by residents, bringing the cultural programme and local involvement into the same set of preparations as visitor services and security.
For November 24, officials outlined lighting more than 11 lakh earthen lamps across permanent ghats, the opposite sandy bank and more than 100 ponds and kunds. Lamps made by women's self help groups are included. Special lighting arrangements are also planned in rural areas, Sarnath, Markandey Mahadev Temple and Shooltankeshwar Temple, extending the programme beyond the central riverfront.
The evening programme includes lamp lighting and the Maha Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat. Projection and laser displays are planned at Chet Singh Ghat, with drone displays near Dashashwamedh and Assi ghats. A green fireworks display is planned near the Kashi Vishwanath Dham riverfront. The reviewed programme does not give a precise starting time for each display, so these locations should not be read as a timed itinerary.
Guru Nanak Jayanti also falls on November 24. The chief minister directed that preparations for langars, kirtans and gatherings at gurdwaras be completed in time. Those arrangements were considered alongside the riverfront programme, making coordination across different gathering places part of the administration's task.
What residents should do
Keep the programme dates separate when planning: November 20 to 23 is the four evening cultural festival, while November 24 is the lamp lighting celebration. The cleanliness drive covers November 20 to 25. Officials were specifically instructed to begin cleaning the ghats after the lamps ceremony so people arriving to bathe early the following morning would find the riverfront cleared.
For emergency assistance, the district administration's official helpline page lists police assistance on 112 and the Uttar Pradesh ambulance helpline on 108. These are general emergency contacts. The page does not label them as festival booking or visitor information numbers.
Earlier local reporting covers River Indie electric scooter price starts at Rs 1,61,699 in Karnataka, Varanasi boat rules: UP cabinet approves new vessel framework and Varanasi names Chhath coordinator, orders water depth checks. Those reports provide context for riverfront preparations. The November 11 state review adds the later festival programme, river movement arrangements and the six day cleanliness direction.
