Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Nov 16:Â In an unprecedented move, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will be deployed at Chhath Ghats in Jamshedpur for the first time, as the administration gears up to ensure enhanced safety measures during the upcoming Chhath festival. The administration is actively working on comprehensive preparations, focusing on cleaning more than five dozen ghats, repairing access roads, arranging lighting, marking danger zones with rope-balloons, creating changing rooms, and deploying divers.
Following the immersion of Durga Puja idols and Kalipuja idol immersion, the rivers and ponds, including Subarnarekha-Kharkai, were cleaned. However, the recent addition of puja materials has led to a situation similar to before. The administration has identified 62 ghats for intensive preparations, although a significant portion of the population has started building alternative ghats around their houses for worship.
Major ghats falling in the danger zone, such as Domuhani Subarnarekha, Kapali Subarnarekha, Kadma Satti Kharkai, and others, have been marked for specific attention. Learning from a tragic accident during Durga Puja at Bishtupur Belibodhanwala Ghat, where two people lost their lives, the Deputy Commissioner has requested the deployment of NDRF during Chhath Puja.
This initiative aims to ensure the safety of Chhathavratis and devotees who gather at river-pond ghats for worship. In addition to the NDRF deployment, private divers will continue to operate in marked danger zones. Typically, NDRF teams are mobilized during floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. This marks the first time an NDRF team is being deployed for vigilance before Chhath in Jamshedpur. The Health and Disaster Minister is expected to be present in the city during Chhath.
Cleaning activities will encompass various river ghats connected to Kharkai and Subarnarekha, including road repairs and lighting arrangements. Danger zones along the rivers will be closely monitored, and diving arrangements will be put in place. Fresh repairs and artificial pond arrangements will be made after the immersion of Kali Puja. The city manager and Deputy Municipal Commissioner have been assigned specific responsibilities for the overall cleanliness and safety initiatives.
In addition, preparations at 13 ghats, including Mango Subarnarekha Intakebel Ghat, Chanakyapur, will include arrangements for divers, changing rooms, and lighting. Danger zones in river ghats have been marked, and cleaning activities will commence after the Kalipuja immersion. The team is working diligently to ensure safety and cleanliness at prominent ghats such as Mahakaleshwar (Shiv Ghat) and Parvati Kharkai Ghat in Jugsalai. Barricading and repairs will be implemented in designated danger zones, emphasizing stringent safety measures for a smooth Chhath celebration in Jamshedpur.