Admin races against time to clean ghats for Chhath

Jamshedpur: Ahead of commencement of four-day Chhath festival from Monday, cleaning of water bodies and decking up of the ghats entered its final stage on Sunday with different organisations and district administration completing sprucing up of ghats in Jamshedpur and adjoining Adityapur on a war footing.
Tata Steel Utilities and Infrastructure Services Ltd, (TSUISL) cleaned up Baroda Chhath ghat on the banks of Kharkhai river in Bagbera. The ghat will be decked up with lights, and arrangements for parking was done. Barricading of the danger area on banks will be done for the devotees from Monday to ensure prayers are offered in a safe and organised manner.
Post Durga puja and Kali puja, Subernarekha and Kharkhai rivers at some places in the urban circle and pounds in the suburban and rural areas are littered with puja paraphernalia.
"The urban civic bodies of Jamshedpur, Mango and Jugsalai, corporate companies such as Jusco (read TSUISL), Tata Motors, several social organisations' volunteers removed puja waste from the water bodies on Sunday," said Kendriya Durga Puja Samiti, secretary, Arun Singh. He said the samiti is coordinating with different organisations for the cleaning, sprucing up of the ghats.
The managing committee president of Surya Mandir, Sidhgora, Sanjeev Singh said that the pond at the temple has been cleaned and Jusco will refill fresh water into it. Over 3,000 devotees besides hundreds of festive enthusiasts from the surroundings in Sidhgora and Baridih come to the Surya Mandir to offer prayers on Chhath.
Several social outfits such as Disha Foundation, Pukare, Bhojpuria Manch, Bagbera Mahanagar Vikas Samiti have launched the cleaning drive across the ghats on the banks of Kharkhai and Subernarekha besides Domuhani in Sonari. "By Tuesday, ghats on the banks of Domuhani will be cleaned as the drive has been launched with force," said Gaurav Anand of Disha Foundation.
JMM MLA from Jugsalai, Mangal Kalindi, who made inspection of the different ghats in his constituency said on Sunday that forest dam at Radhikanagar is being readied for the devotees.
There are 80 plus chhath ghats in the two adjoining towns, of which 40 ghats that are situated on the banks of the three above mentioned rivers are largely patronised.
As of now, 25 chhath ghats, including those situated on the river banks and ponds, are cleaned while the remaining are likely to get cleaned by Monday and all dedicated ghats would be decked up by Tuesday.
Upset on seeing Kharkhai river banks littered with thermocol, polythene carry bags and puja waste, former MLA, Arvind Singh, said he would take up the matter with the administration. The former MLA, who is the patron of Praveen Singh Smriti Seva Sanstha, resumed the cleaning work at the aforesaid ghat on Sunday following the launch of the cleaning drive on Saturday.