Chhath Puja, Bihar’s biggest festival started on November 17. The four-day festival, which began with Nahay-Khay (bathe and eat), will end on November 20 with araghya (prayers) to the rising sun.
The Patna district administration has made elaborate arrangements on the river banks to manage mass gathering. Additional force has been deployed on every ghat.
Devotees reached the Ganga ghats early in the morning, took bath and offered prayers to the sun with the river water. They then ate rice, bottle gourd and other vegetables.
Over 100 ghats have been identified in Patna where devotees can offer prayers. Safety barricades, lighting arrangements, watch towers, toilets and changing rooms have also put up on the ghats by the district administration. Approach roads have been relaid.
Special attention has been given to those ghats where people gather in large numbers (more than two lakh), such as the Collectorate Ghat, Mahendru Ghat, Digha Ghat, Janardan Ghat, Gai Ghat and the Gandhi Ghat.
The administration is supplying Ganga water to houses and colonies through tankers. The Patna Municipal Corporation has sent 32 such tankers to various wards.
Apart from the ghats, Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh and Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Rajeev Mishra, along with senior officials, also inspected various ponds and took stock of the preparations for the festival.
Mr. Singh said alternative arrangements had been made by the administration for the convenience and safety of the devotees. More than 45 ponds and an equal number of parks have been made available for the devotees.
“Close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras have been installed on all the ghats to monitor the gathering. Additional forces have been deployed to ensure that devotees do not face any problem. Arrangements for drinking water have also been made on the ghats,” Mr. Mishra said.
Medical teams on standby
Patna Divisional Commissioner Kumar Ravi said medical teams have been deployed on all ghats. Risky ghats had been barricaded to prevent entry of devotees. “The administration is on alert and is ready to help the devotees. Excellent crowd management, strong security arrangements and smooth traffic management will be ensured. Apart from the deployment of the SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) and the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), river patrolling is also being undertaken,” Mr. Ravi said.
Chhath Puja is also being performed at 1, Aney Marg, the official residence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. There will be no celebrations in RJD leader Lalu Prasad’s family as his wife and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi is not in good health, a party insider said.
