Chhath comes and goes, but the space crunch at ghats remains a perennial problem.

Devotees in the capital fear a problem in getting space near water bodies to offer prayers as some people have already started grabbing space by writing names on the ghat stairs.

In Ranchi, there are around 40 ponds and lakes where about 2 lakh devotees offer prayers during the four-day Chhath festival. The sandhya and the usha arghya will be observed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A week ago, RMC had issued a public notice asking people to desist from grabbing and encroaching upon Chhath ghats or pay a fine of Rs 2,000. The warning seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

On Kanke Dam, where around 50,000 devotees offer prayers, people have already occupied spaces.

“Some occupy spaces in advance for themselves while others sell them. It has become a business for some. They treat public places like their personal property,” Kanke resident Manoj Kumar, whose wife observes Chhath at the dam, said.

Ratan Kumar of Sarovar Nagar also voiced the same problem. “Last year, some local youths denied me space at the ghat saying it belonged to them. After protest by an elderly woman, whose sons are senior bureaucrats, I got a space,” Kumar said.

Deputy municipal commissioner Sanjay Kumar said the RMC team was regularly visiting water bodies to stop any unauthorised occupation of space.

“These ponds and reservoirs are under RMC’s jurisdiction and nobody will be allowed to do these things,” the official said. Ideally, the RMC should have instructed local police to patrol the ponds.

“RMC has instructed Chhath puja committees to prevent people from grabbing space. An enforcement team will be deployed at all ghats on Tuesday and Wednesday to help devotees,” he said.