Lucknow, Sep 2 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday directed officials to ensure that 'puja pandals' for Ganesh Chaturthi and upcoming Navratri festivals do not cause inconvenience to people or hamper traffic movement in the state.

The 10-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi festival began

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on Wednesday while Navratri, which spans over nine nights, will start from September 26.

On a visit to Balrampur, the chief minister reviewed the preparations for the 'Shardiya Navratri' fair starting September 26 as well as the development work in the district.

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According to an official statement, the chief minister directed the officials to make all necessary arrangements for the two festivals and ensure comprehensive cleanliness and security arrangements during the fair.

Puja pandals should be set up in such a way that there is no inconvenience to the general public and movement of traffic is not affected, the chief minister told officials.

While reviewing the flood and drought management, Adityanath said the district administration should keep a constant vigil on the flood situation while flood posts should be kept active and adequate availability of boats be ensured.

He said snakebite and anti-rabies injections along with essential medicines at health centres should be made available, besides installing health ATMs for better management of health services.

The chief minister was informed that there is no threat of flood in Balrampur district at present as the water level of Rapti river is below the warning mark.

However, all preparations have been completed by the district administration to deal with any flood-like situation, the statement said.

The chief minister also said that a strict vigil should be maintained in the border areas adjoining Nepal.

Tharu-dominated areas in the state should be saturated with welfare schemes of the government and must get access to basic facilities like schools, electricity and roads, Adityanath said.

Economic development of the people of Tharu tribe should be made through small and cottage industries, the chief minister added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)