# Andaman declares Nov 16 public holiday for Chhath Puja

2026-11-15T08:56:35+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet
Outlets counted: thewaveandaman.com

The Andaman and Nicobar Administration has declared November 16, 2026, a public holiday across government offices, educational institutions and public sector undertakings for Chhath Puja, revising an earlier order that had listed the occasion as a restricted holiday. The notification, issued by Lieutenant Governor Dr Dinesh Sharma under the Negotiable Instruments Act, identifies the occasion as Pratihar Shashthi or Surya Shashthi (Chhath Puja). It clarifies that the restricted holiday previously notified for November 15, 2026, a Sunday, will instead be observed as a public holiday on November 16. The earlier notification, numbered 91/2025 and issued on November 12, 2025, had listed the occasion as a restricted holiday. The latest order, numbered 308/2026, changes the classification and shifts the observance.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

The revision changes Chhath Puja from a restricted holiday to a full public holiday for all government and public sector employees in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The shift from Sunday to Monday means workers gain an additional day off rather than losing the observance to a weekend. The notification names the legal basis under the Negotiable Instruments Act, which governs holiday declarations for bills of exchange, but the practical effect is administrative: offices and schools will remain closed on November 16. No further orders or clarifications are mentioned.

## Coverage

- thewaveandaman.com <https://thewaveandaman.com/andaman-public-holiday-chhath-puja-november-16-2026/>
  Straight announcement of a government order, no commentary or slant

This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.

Tags: Andaman and Nicobar administration, Chhath Puja, Dinesh Sharma
Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/andaman-declares-nov-16-public-holiday-for-chhath-puja/
License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources.
Cite: https://indianopinion.org/andaman-declares-nov-16-public-holiday-for-chhath-puja/#story-in-brief
Gate decision: carve_out (pass: utility (public_holiday, civic:holiday), qualifying outlets 1, relevance 7)
Utility kind: public_holiday (civic:holiday)
Freshness: pass (fresh: newest qualifying source 2026-11-15 03:24Z (feed), 5.5 h old)
Image: photograph. Source: https://thewaveandaman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/environment-day-10.png.

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