Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) has finalised measures to maintain uninterrupted power supply at Chhath ghats across the state, with engineers and field staff deployed at key locations during Sunday evening’s arghya and Monday morning’s rituals.
JBVNL director (distribution and project) Prabhat Kumar Shrivastava said general managers and engineers had been instructed to ensure continuous electricity at Chhath ghats in both urban and rural areas. Circle offices have been directed to place officials and field teams at major ghats and near distribution transformers so that technical faults or emergencies can be addressed promptly.
The arrangements cover not only power supply at the water bodies but also electrical safety along routes used by devotees. JBVNL teams will monitor low-tension overhead wires leading to the ghats and other water bodies. The utility said the monitoring was intended to help prevent accidents during the festival, when large numbers of people are expected to move towards ritual locations.
In Ranchi, personnel deployment has already been finalised, according to Manmohan Kumar, general manager of the Ranchi supply area. “The duty chart has already been prepared and shared with all officials and field staff,” he said.
The utility has also installed nine dedicated transformers at various substations in Ranchi. These transformers have been connected directly to street lights on major arterial roads. According to JBVNL, the arrangement is expected to keep the street lights illuminated for devotees even if a local power disruption occurs.
The deployment places field staff close to both the distribution network and the public spaces being used for the rituals. Officials stationed near transformers will be able to respond to faults, while teams monitoring overhead low-tension lines will focus on routes connecting roads and ghats. The measures are particularly relevant to temporary or high-footfall festival arrangements, where lighting and electrical safety become part of the public infrastructure required for access to the site.
JBVNL’s plan covers the two main ritual periods identified in the announcement: Sunday evening’s arghya and the following Monday morning rituals. The instructions have been issued across the utility’s circle offices, extending the response beyond Ranchi to Chhath ghats in other urban and rural parts of Jharkhand.
The utility’s stated priority is to maintain electricity at the ghats, support street lighting on major Ranchi roads and provide prompt intervention in case of technical failures. Officials and field staff will remain part of the arrangements during the designated festival duties, while the nine dedicated transformers will provide a separate connection for street lights at selected locations.
