Ranchi and Ramgarh have completed extensive civic and safety arrangements for thousands of devotees expected at Chhath ghats for the Sandhya Arghya on Sunday, with municipal teams deploying sanitation workers, artificial ponds, barricades, lighting, medical services and police personnel across major gathering points.
In Ranchi, officials of the Ranchi Municipal Corporation inspected water bodies and reviewed preparations at 72 traditional Chhath ghats. The civic body has also built 63 artificial ponds across different wards to reduce crowding at existing water bodies. Nearly 1,400 sanitation workers have been deployed for round-the-clock cleaning, while the water bodies have been treated with alum and bleaching powder, officials said.
Barricades have been installed to keep devotees within designated safe zones, and more than 260 warning signs have been put up across the city. The arrangements also include 501 temporary changing rooms at Chhath ghats. To maintain lighting during the rituals, 1,508 additional lights have been installed at 83 locations and 88 generators have been arranged as backup against power failures.
Approach roads to the ghats have been levelled with stone dust to address potholes. Open drains along the routes have been covered with slabs to reduce the risk of accidents as devotees move towards the water bodies. Ranchi municipal commissioner Sushant Gaurav said civic teams had been working across the city to complete the preparations on time and praised the municipal workforce for its efforts.
Local festival committees have added volunteer and welfare arrangements at some of the busiest sites. Bada Talab, which is expected to receive more than 20,000 devotees, will have 76 volunteers deployed by the Student Federation Chhath Puja Samiti for crowd management. The committee is also installing tents, while a Sundarkand Path is scheduled at the Surya Mandir in the evening, its patron Rajiv Ranjan Mishra said.
At Hataniya Talab, where more than 40,000 devotees are expected, doctors will be stationed at the site. The local Maha Chhath Puja Samiti has also arranged a lost-and-found centre and plans to distribute milk and fruits at the ghat, chairperson Rajendra Kumar said. Medical teams, first-aid stations and lost-and-found centres have additionally been arranged at Jail Talab, Button Talab, Karamtoli Talab and Tiril Talab.
In Ramgarh, authorities have cleaned a 45-kilometre stretch of the Damodar River between Bhurkunda and Rajrappa Temple. Ghats along the river have been equipped with swimmers, divers, boats, barricades, lighting, temporary changing rooms, help desks and drinking water facilities. Police personnel have also been deployed in large numbers. Ramgarh deputy commissioner Rituraj said the administration had given top priority to the safety of devotees.
