Sanitation workers sift through garbage at Collectorate Ghat in Patna on Sunday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, Oct. 9: Residents of the state capital, who plan to perform the rituals of Chhath this year at the different Ganga ghats, could be in for a disappointment. For, the civic body is yet to start cleaning them up for the festival.

Chhath begins this year on October 30. On the first day — Nahay Khay — devotees make a beeline to the ghats to take a ritual bath before their meals. Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) usually starts preparations for cleaning up the ghats soon after Durga Puja. This year, nothing has been done so far.

The civic body officials, however, assured that the ghats would be ready for the festival.

Additional municipal commissioner Chandrama Singh said the ghats would be spick-and-span and ready to welcome the devotees. “Various steps will be taken to prepare the ghats for the festival. We will use bleaching powder, sand and lime to clean up all the ghats. The ghats that have too much sludge or a steep surface would be provided with bamboo structures as a base,” said Singh.

She added: “At present, we are busy cleaning the city and dealing with the waste material generated during the Puja. We will soon start to clean the ghats and the roads, prior to Chhath. Though we do not have A2Z Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd (the private agency hired by PMC to cart away garbage) working with us, efforts would be made to avoid any shortcomings. As far as the identification of dangerous ghats is concerned, sub-divisional officers of different areas would do it. The entire process will start 10 days later. By then, the water level of the river will recede and it will be easier for us to work.”

Citizens, however, were sceptical of the claim of the authorities.

Ashiana Nagar resident Amit Tiwari said: “The authorities make all kinds of claims every year. But they start to prepare the ghats only at the last minute and much of the work is left incomplete. Some mishap or the other is reported at the ghats every year.”

Amit added that the ghats were not cleaned after the festival as well.

“The ghats are left dirty after Chhath. They are not cleaned at all. Flowers and other material used by the devotees to worship are left to rot on the steps that lead to the river. The rotting garbage generates a foul stench and people keep away from it.”

Sources said while preparations for Chhath this year was yet to take off, the civic body had not yet cleared payments for last year’s sanitation work.

“The payment for the expenses incurred last year on the cleanliness of the ghats has not been done yet. This happened because the former commissioner did not issue orders for the payments. However, we are hopeful that this time such irregularities would not be repeated. There is meeting slated tomorrow with the commissioner, where I will discuss the action plans for the preparations for Chhath this year,” said mayor Afzal Imam.

The civic body is responsible for 78 ghats in the state capital, of which 48 are in Patna City.