Lakhs of devotees are gearing up for Chhath, an ancient and arduous ritual of paying obeisance to the sun. But, are the authorities ready to handle the surge of faith on the banks of Jamshedpur’s two lifeline rivers, Subernarekha and Kharkai? Animesh Bisoee inspects arrangements at some prominent ghats and an artificial pond, all of which shall witness heavy footfall on November 13 for sandhya arghya and November 14 for usha arghya
Subernarekha Ghat, Sakchi
Length: Over a kilometre
Period of celebrations: More than 100 years
Expected crowd: Around one lakh
Ground realities: This popular ghat for festivals is still littered with Durga Puja paraphernalia while the authorities are yet to identify and barricade danger zones
Devotee voice: “Since everyone in power today speaks of Swachh Bharat, we had hoped that cleaning of ghats would be prompt. Chhath Puja is barely three days away and we don’t even know the safe zones to offer prayers,” said Mithilesh Choubey, a college professor and resident of Mango
Picture by Bhola Prasad
Domuhani Ghat, Sonari
Length: Nearly 2km
Period of celebrations: 40-plus years
Expected crowd: Over a lakh
Ground realities: Tata Steel subsidiary Jusco and Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) have pressed workers into service to clean the ghat. But, danger zones are yet to be demarcated. Also, some thugs have begun fencing spots illegally. They plan to sell the space to anyone willing to pay
Devotee voice: “The authorities must step up security at Domuhani, which is at the confluence of Subernarekha and Kharkai, and hence a coveted ghat. Installation of lights will help,” said Madhulika Singh, a Kadma homemaker who has been performing Chhath rituals for a decade
Picture by Bhola Prasad
Pandey Ghat, Bhuiyandih
Length: Nearly 300 metres
Period of celebrations: 40-plus years
Expected crowd: Over 30,000
Ground realities: Puja paraphernalia and garbage have turned the ghat into an eyesore. No step has been taken to demarcate danger zones. The approach road remains congested
Devotee voice: “Let alone littering, open defecation is common too. We hope that the civic authorities will fix the mess ASAP and install lights before Chhath,” said Parsuram Singh, a resident of Lal Bhatta and a carpenter by profession
Picture by Bhola Prasad
Sidhgora Surya Mandir
Area: 500sqft
Period of celebrations: 18 years
Expected crowd: Nearly 30,000
Ground realities: The temple committee has installed steel guard rails for the convenience of elderly Chhath vratis. Civic officials have deployed workers to clean the artificial pond. Fresh water will be arranged by Jusco for the reservoir a day before the rituals
Devotee voice: “This is the best place to perform rituals from the safety and security point of view. And, why wouldn’t it be? The chief minister himself observes Chhath here,” said Kalyani Devi, a homemaker from Bagunhatu
Picture by Bhola Prasad
Bodhanwala Ghat, Bistupur
Length: Around 200 metres
Period of celebrations: 17-plus years
Expected crowd: Around 30,000
Ground realities: Cleaning work has begun, courtesy Jusco and JNAC. But, no demarcation of danger zones yet
Devotee voice: “This ghat on the banks of Kharkai is relatively better maintained than others. The authorities should ensure divers are pressed into service to prevent mishaps,” said Sambhu Kumar, a resident of Bistupur who has been visiting the ghat on Chhath for five years
Authorityspeak
Special officer of JNAC Krishna Kumar promised to clean all Chhath ghats with the help of Jusco and other corporate players before November 12.
“Jusco will also install lights while we will demarcate peril spots with the help of civil defence personnel. A task force will be constituted.
It will patrol ghats to ensure no unauthorised reservations are made,” he said.
Dhalbhum SDO Chandan Kumar added that all major ghats would be under camera surveillance by Monday.
