The Gaya Municipal Corporation has intensified cleanliness, access and renovation work at Chhath ghats along the Falgu river and nearby ponds ahead of Chhath Puja, with civic officials promising improved sanitation, lighting, water supply and safety arrangements for devotees.
Mayor Virendra Kumar, also known as Ganesh Paswan, said the ongoing work includes garbage removal, surface levelling and repairs to approach roads leading to the riverbanks and ponds. The civic body is also spreading fresh sand across the ghats to create a cleaner and more comfortable surface for devotees to sit and perform rituals.
Temporary culverts will be constructed over open drains to improve access to the ghats, the mayor said. The intervention is intended to address a basic but significant access problem during a festival that draws large crowds to riverbanks and water bodies, where uneven surfaces, open drains and damaged approaches can create difficulties for pedestrians.
The drive has started at several locations expected to see heavy footfall. These include Kendui, Pita Maheshwar, Brahmani Ghat, Dinkar Ghat, Manpur Surya Pokhara, Surya Kund, Singra Sthan, Polytechnic Ghat, Sidhiya Ghat, Mahadev Ghat and Narayangarh pond in ward number 30.
Empowered standing committee member Akhouri Onkarnath, also known as Mohan Shrivastava, said temporary changing rooms would be installed at the ghats for women devotees. He added that the corporation was arranging adequate lighting, uninterrupted water supply and continuous waste management during the festivities.
The focus on waste management is particularly relevant to the functioning of temporary festival sites. Large gatherings can quickly overwhelm collection and sanitation systems when waste removal is not continuous. The GMC said sanitation work would continue alongside ground levelling and other preparations so that the ghats remain usable during periods of heavy public movement.
Road repairs and temporary culverts are also part of the corporation’s effort to reduce disruptions around the riverbanks and ponds. By taking up approach routes as well as the ghats themselves, the civic body is addressing the wider access network used by devotees rather than limiting the work to ritual areas.
The corporation said it aims to complete ground levelling, safety measures and sanitation work well in advance of the festival. Its stated objective is to avoid last-minute congestion and disruptions while ensuring that the identified ghats have functional public facilities when devotees arrive.
