Chhath devotees would throng the “secured” Ganga banks on Friday evening with an uncanny fear following the recent serial blasts and the Adalat Ghat tragedy last year.

Most of the devotees vowed to tread a cautious path while paying obeisance to the Sun God. But faith appeared to be out and out winner over fear.

“I came here to collect Gangajal (Ganga water) for preparing prasad for the festival. Obviously there is fear after the October 27 blasts. With thousands set to visit the ghats on Friday evening and Saturday morning, the fear of a stampede like last year is also there. But these cannot stop people from observing Chhath — the biggest of all festivals in the state. We have faith in God,” Amit Kumar Gupta told The Telegraph at the Collectorate Ghat.

While most of the devotees are banking on faith for a safe Chhath, the administration has taken several precautionary measures to avoid any untoward incident this year. Police have put important public notices like “Please follow the dedicated path while going to and returning from ghats” and “Your co-operation is essential in case of a security check” on display at all the ghats.

National Disaster Relief Force and State Disaster Response Force personnel would be monitoring the Ganga during the festival. Any kind of fireworks is prohibited at ghats. The police have sought co-operation of devotees for a safe Chhath. Director-general of police (DGP) Abhayanand on Wednesday evening said: “Adequate policemen would be deployed at each ghat where Chhath would be observed but it is impossible to frisk thousands of people. The devotees should draw attention of the police towards unattended objects.”

Another officer said: “Information about any suspicious person or act should be immediately passed on to the nearest policeman. Also, devotees should not to pay any attention to rumour. They should listen to the announcements of the administration instead.”

A rumour had triggered the Adalat Ghat tragedy last year, in which at least 18 people were killed.