Workers construct a pontoon bridge at the Collectorate Ghat on Thursday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

The Gandhi Maidan blasts have cast a shadow on the preparations for Diwali and Chhath.

Only five days are left for Chhath — the biggest festival of the state — and two for Diwali. But the district administration is yet to identify the ghats where the Chhath rituals can be performed. Also, for the first time in recent memory, licences are being issued to sellers of firecrackers in city under the Explosives Rules, 2008.

The administration has also asked the district officials to be ready for any situation so that they are not caught unaware in case of an emergency.

Residents of the city will celebrate the festival of lights on Sunday.

An official told The Telegraph: “For the first time, licences are being issued to firecracker shops. Forty-nine shops in the Patna City area and 38 in Danapur have been given licences under Clause 5(b) of Part 1 under Schedule IV of the Explosives Rules.”

The clause allows the district magistrate to issue licences after checking if the shop has facilities to douse fire and is following safety norms.

The official added that 100 shops in the Patna town area have applied for licences, which they would be issued on Friday. “Checks will continue through Diwali.”

The preparations for Chhath, though, are still stuck in the limbo.

Sources said a meeting was held on Wednesday to decide which ghats in the city are safe for devotees to visit during the four-day Chhath, which begins on November 6. But no decision was taken.

“The list of dangerous ghats would be out in a day or two,” said an official, adding that some ghats — Collectorate, Mahendru, Gai, Bhadra, Shiva, Minar, Bankipore, BN College, Misri, Krishna and Gandhi — were safe enough for people to visit.

On Thursday, a pontoon bridge was being constructed at Collectorate and Mahendru ghats. Devotees would be able to use it to reach the river, which away from the banks.

“Last year, the bridges were made of bamboo. The Adalat Ghat tragedy was the result of the bridge breaking after people panicked. These pontoon bridges are safer,” said a devotee, who had come to see the arrangements at Mahendru Ghat.

Chhath rituals would not be allowed at Adalat Ghat this year. “It is not because of last year’s stampede. The water in the river at Adalat Ghat is too low and the area is slippery and muddy,” said an official.

He added that there would be tight security at all the ghats and bomb disposal squads would be on stand by to deal with any situation.