Devotees’ safety is top priority: Jamshedpur DC inspects river ghats ahead of Durga idol immersion

Jamshedpur: In view of the upcoming Durga Puja festivities, Deputy Commissioner Karna Satyarthi on Thursday conducted an extensive inspection of various ghats along the Swarnarekha and Kharkai rivers to review preparations for idol immersion. Accompanied by City SP Kumar Shivashish, ADM (Law & Order) Bhagirath Prasad, and senior administrative officials, the Deputy Commissioner visited Bhojpur Ghat, Suvarnarekha Ghat, Pandey Ghat, Naya Pul Ghat, Domukhani Ghat, Sati Ghat, Sub-Station Ghat, Beli Bodhanwala Ghat, and Baroda Ghat, issuing necessary guidelines to ensure safety and smooth conduct of the immersion process.

During the inspection, Satyarthi directed the municipal corporation and Jusco representatives to carry out timely repair of approach roads leading to the ghats, install adequate lighting, maintain cleanliness, and ensure proper barricading. “Devotees should not face any inconvenience while reaching the ghats. Roads must be repaired on priority, and lighting arrangements should be completed well in advance,” he instructed.

Emphasizing the importance of safety, the Deputy Commissioner ordered the erection of barricades along riverbanks and immersion points to minimize the risk of accidents. He further directed that divers and disaster management teams remain stationed at all major ghats during the immersion. “The safety of devotees is the foremost priority of the district administration. No lapses will be tolerated, and officials must ensure that every precautionary measure is in place,” Satyarthi said.

The Deputy Commissioner also reviewed arrangements for law and order management. He informed that adequate police deployment will be made across all immersion sites, with special focus on crowd control. Traffic police will be tasked with regulating vehicular movement and preventing congestion around key routes leading to the ghats. CCTV surveillance and continuous patrolling will be carried out to keep a close watch on the proceedings.

Instructions were also given to maintain cleanliness at immersion sites both before and after the event. Civic bodies have been asked to make provisions for waste collection and disposal to prevent environmental hazards in the river. The Deputy Commissioner stressed on inter-departmental coordination, calling upon administrative, police, municipal, and disaster response teams to work in close synergy.

Senior officials present during the inspection included JNAC Deputy Municipal Commissioner Krishna Kumar, District Transport Officer Dhananjay, Dhalbhum SDM Chandrajeet Singh, and Jamshedpur Sadar BDO Sumit Prakash, along with other police and administrative functionaries.