People dressed in colourful clothes and carrying baskets full of offerings converged at the riverside here on Saturday to celebrate Chhath.

Lok Sabha MP from Guwahati Queen Ojah and former Assam chief minister Prafulla Mahanta visited a Chhath Puja ghat near Fancy Bazar and greeted people on the occassion. Several top state government officials were also present.

Men, women and children started thronging the designated Chhath venues since early afternoon.

Similar scenes could be seen in towns across the state as devotees, predominantly from the Hindi-speaking communities, made their way to the nearest waterbodies to pay obeisance to the Sun God at sunset.

Arghya (offerings), comprising fresh fruits, vegetables and sweets, were made as part of the rituals.

In the city, the ghats along the Brahmaputra, from Bhootnath to Uzan Bazar, were decked up with gates and pandals erected for cultural events by social organisations like Yuva Bharati Sangh, Sarv Hindusthani Yuva Parishad, Purbottar Pragatishil Manch and others.

Chhath Puja venues have been designated at ghats or waterbodies in Pandu, Soonsali, Narengi, Khanapara and other places. A riot of colours was seen at the Chhath venues even as a carnival-like atmosphere prevailed.

Yuva Bharati Sangh general secretary Suraj Tiwari said, “We have been busy cleaning the place since the last few days. Our workers put up bamboo barricades along the river front so that people cannot venture out beyond a few paces while performing Chhath rituals. A pandal and a stage have been put up for bhajans and kirtans to be sung by invited artistes. We expect more than 500 dalas to be brought here.”

Tiwari was all praise for the administration for providing police and emergency teams. He, however, said that arrangements for water had to be made by their own organisation.

A police control room and medical centre have been set up while fire trucks and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel were stationed at the main Fancy Bazar ghat.

NDRF assistant commandant Tej Bahadur Singh said around 12 boats equipped with life jackets, floating rings and other necessary paraphernalia and manned by around 80 deep divers, rescue and nursing experts patrolled the stretch along the river from Bhootnath to Uzan Bazar.

Traffic snarls were witnessed on major roads leading to Panbazar and Fancy Bazar in the heart of Guwahati, as vehicles were diverted from the riverside road from Bharalumukh to the high court. Other areas with Chhath venues also faced similar issues with traffic flow.

An artificial waterbody was created at Last Gate near Dispur for Chhath, to ease the pressure at other places.

In Dibrugarh, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, while attending a Chhath Puja programme, said the Bhojpuri community is an integral part of the greater Assamese society. He said Bhojpuri people have played a vital role in the development of Assam.

Thousands of devotees, mostly women across Tinsukia district, fasted, sang devotional songs and offered prayers to the setting sun to mark the four-day Chhath Puja. In Hojai, the festival was marked by pomp and gaiety. Devotees thronged the ghats to pay oblation to the Sun.

In Kokrajhar, Chhath was observed in different parts in a befitting manner. Devotees assembled at the Gaurang river to perform rituals.

Additional reporting by Avik Chakraborty in Dibrugarh, Manoj Kumar Ojha in Doomdooma, Nikhil Kumar Mundra in Hojai and Rinoy Basumatary in Kokrajhar