Garbage strewn at Patna’s Gandhi Ghat on Wednesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

The district administration has chalked out Chhath preparations in details after 18 committees set up to look into the condition of ghats submitted their reports.

A day after the committees submitted their reports on Monday, Patna district magistrate Manish Kumar Verma, urban development and housing secretary Sandeep Poundrik and Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner Kuldip Narayan held a meeting. “Several decisions were taken and a detailed programme was chalked out. Responsibilities were fixed and work distributed. We do not want to take any chances. That’s why preparations are starting two months in advance,” Verma said.

Giving details, Verma said: “Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo) will be responsible for better approach roads and other infrastructure-related work on the ghats. Similarly, Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam will look after building pontoon bridges where needed.”

It becomes important to build pontoon bridges at ghats where the Ganga has shifted at least 2km north in the past two years. Muddy puddles abound on several ghats, making them unsafe to walk in.

Verma further said: “PMC will look after cleaning up the ghats and it is their duty to spruce up the Ghats so that devotees and people do not complain about dirt. We just want to give the best surrounding and atmosphere to whoever visits the ghats.”

It is for the first time that the district administration has involved BUIDCo in Chhath preparations since its formation in 2009. One reason for inducting the urban development and housing department is PMC’s shoddy tryst with civic issues in the recent past.

Asked about names of risky ghats so that people could be informed in advance, Verma said: “The name would be announced after reviewing the Ganga’s water level, which keeps rising and falling. It will take some time but it would be announced much in advance. Monitoring and implementation is the district administration’s job.” He also said adequate safety arrangements would be made at the ghats. Trained divers with boats having safety equipment are part of the preparation. So is placing an ambulance with doctor at some important ghats.

Poundrik said all expenses for Chhath preparations would be provided by the urban development and housing department. “Our department will provide financial help in the whole preparation and pontoon bridges would be constructed at Collectorate Ghat and Mahendru Ghat. The department is very happy to be facilitating the most famous festival in the state,” he said.