Akharaghat in Muzaffarpur. Picture by Lokesh Bihari

The swollen Budhi Gandak, the bank of which devotees congregate during Chhath, has put the district administration in a dilemma.

District magistrate Anupam Kumar, senior superintendent of police Ranjit Kumar Mishra and municipal commissioner Himanshu Sharma inspected Akharaghat and expressed doubt over allowing devotees to offer Chhath arghya at the site.

The entire stretch — spreading over one-and-a-half km at Akharaghat — is fraught with danger, as there is no sign of water receding in the next couple of days, said Kumar.

A large chunk of populace of Muzaffarpur, belonging to Balughat, Nazirpur, Sikandarpur, Sutta Patti, Saraiyaganj and various areas, prefer to flock to Akharaghat during Chhath.

This year, Chhath would be observed on October 29 and 30.

The district authorities are caught in a fix to accommodate thousands of Chhath devotees once it declares Akharaghat dangerous. “The decision on declaring Akharaghat dangerous for this purpose is pending and it will be taken after necessary parleys with top officials, including the district magistrate, in a day or two,” said commissioner Sharma.

The municipal corporation has already put a blanket ban on flocking to Sidhi Ghat at Sikandarpur in the wake of heavy flow of the Budhi Gandak. Even the Sidhi ghat stairs have of late turned muddy posing danger to scores of devotees. “The corporation has alerted the residents of the locality of Sikandarpur and its adjoining areas not to think of flocking there at Sidhi ghat for Chhath rituals. Those devotees, if dared to defy the order by assembling there for festival formalities, will face legal action,” said SSP Mishra.

The corporation is pondering over to dig two pools or pond-like structure outside the main gate of Pt Nehru Stadium in Sikandarpur for facilitating Chhath devotees.

DM Kumar said he had issued strict directives to the SSP not to allow movement of boats in the river during the festival. Police personnel would be deployed to keep a strict watch on the plying of boats.