Devotees going to the Digha ghats to offer obeisance to the Sun God this year should tread a cautious path because the riverbanks are in a treacherous state.

Shiva, Patipul, Minar, Digha Post Office and Bindtoli are together known as Digha ghats. Around five to seven lakh devotees throng them during Chhath. They are popular because the Ganga flows close to them unlike the other famous ghats of the city — Mahendru, Collectorate or Krishna — from which the river has moved away considerably because of its changing course.

This year, the devotees have to be extra careful. The high water level of the Ganga over the past few months has eroded the original banks and the ghats are steep and slippery.

The four-day festival begins on Wednesday. On Tuesday, when The Telegraph visited the ghats, two tractors were dumping sand in the river. Bamboo barricades had also been put up to prevent devotees from venturing out too far in the water. Members of the local Chhath puja committees were busy cleaning the approach roads to the ghats.

Residents of nearby areas were not satisfied with the preparations for the largest festival of the state, though. “I don’t think it will be possible to offer arghya (obeisance) at these ghats. They are too steep and the safety barricade is too close to the riverbank,” said Surendra Kumar, a resident of Digha Chauhatta, a village near Patipul Ghat.

This ghat was later declared dangerous by the district administration with several others. (See graphic)

Devotees usually pray to the Sun God during the third and fourth days of the festival — Pehli Arghya and Doosri Arghya, respectively.

He added: “I don’t think more than 500 people would be able to stand in the Ganga at a time. But each year, lakhs of devotees come to this ghat. The lack of space could lead to a commotion this year. I don’t know if the authorities are prepared to deal with it.”

Other residents said the depth of the Ganga up to the safety barricade was 2-5ft and beyond it was a sudden drop of 15-20ft.

Sanjay Kumar Singh, the councillor from ward number 1 of Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC), said: “The high water level in the Ganga has eroded the banks. Many ghats between Digha and Danapur are still under water. The five Chhath ghats, too, have suffered major damage. We are doing the ground levelling and barricading work. Devotees should not venture out beyond the barricades as the river is too deep thereafter.”

Ghats apart, the other preparations in and around the riverbanks were also unsatisfactory on Tuesday.

The roads leading to the ghats were dirty and full of potholes. The district administration had promised that closed-circuit television cameras would be installed at the ghats but none could be seen.

Workers of local Chhath puja committees were busy fixing lights (sponsored by Dena Bank) and cleaning the roads on Tuesday. They complained about the lack of help from the authorities.

Sunil Yadav, president, Samaj Sudhar Seva Sansthan, Digha Ghat Post Office Road, said: “Neither PMC nor the administration has done any cleanliness work at the ghats or the approach roads. We are doing what we can but we don’t have any funds. Hopefully, everything will be done by tomorrow (Wednesday), when devotees would start coming to the ghats for Nahay Khay baths.”

How did you observe Nahay Khay? Tell ttbihar@abp.in