Jamshedpur, Oct. 28: The steel city is gearing forward to the Chhath festival. The local administration has sprung into action to clean up ghats that, after a whole year of neglect and lack of any care or upkeep, will need an army of workers toiling round the clock to make it usable and safe for devotees.
Sources informed that DC ordered authorities to carry cleanliness drive at different ghats. Administration has called the corporates like Jusco, Tata Motors and Tata Steel to provide manual and machinery assistance to the administrative officials in carrying out the exercise before the festival. “We have asked all the socially responsible corporate institutions to extend their cooperation in carrying out the drive,” said an official.
Jusco, the utility wing of Tata Steel rivetted its focus on cleaning eight ghats along river Subernarekha and Kharkai. Some of the ghats included Subernarekha ghat in Sakchi near the Mango bridge, Pandey Ghat, Sati ghat, Domuhani, Bhuiyandih Balu ghat, Bodhanwala Ghat and Kadma Power sub-station ghat.
“We have deployed around 100 workers for removing idol remains and other puja materials from different river ghats. The cleaning operation is expected to get completed in all the eight ghats in another three to four days.The man power is sufficient for cleaning the ghats as well as making other arrangements for Chhath like erection of street light poles, barricading etc.,” said Jusco official.
The most important task before the administration is to barricade the danger zone and stop the devotees and revellers from breaching into that area. In the light of past incidents of drowning the administration has got serious with this issue and has taken firm measures in this regard particularly, in Mango, Sonari and Kadma where the possibility of accidents are high.
Meanwhile officials of Chhath Ghat Committee said said that people take bath in water tanks and rivers and therefore it is essential that the cleaning work of these water bodies is completed on time. �This year the situation is just opposite so we are making adequate arrangements to make the festival an incident free celebration,� said a district administration official.
Meanwhile, administration will be deploying trained swimmers and lifeguards along with paddle boats at different points on Subernarekha and Kharkhai river during chhath festivity. Danger spots would be demarcated and all ghats would be barricaded.