Jharkhand: Ranchi district admin accelerates Chhath preparations

Ranchi, Oct 22 (PTI) In view of the upcoming Chhath Puja celebrations from October 25-28, the Ranchi district administration in Jharkhand has intensified preparations at Chhath ghats, focussing on security, cleanliness and lighting arrangements, officials said on Wednesday.

Ranchi Traffic Police also imposed traffic restrictions in the city on October 27 and 28.

Ranchi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Manjunath Bhajantri, along with Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rakesh Ranjan, inspected several Chhath ghats in the city, including Kanke Dam and Hataniya Talab located near Raj Bhavan.

"The district administration has sped up cleaning of the Chhath ghats. We are reviewing security management and other preparations," Bhajantri said.

"We have appealed to all the Chhath Puja committees to provide sufficient volunteers so that the security of devotees can be ensured at the ghats," he said.

The DC said that National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams would be deployed for quick action in case of any emergency.

Barricading till 3.5-feet depth of water would be ensured to mark safe zones in water bodies for Chhath Puja, he said.

Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) Commissioner Sushant Gaurav told PTI, "We have identified at least 73 water bodies, including ponds and rivers, for the festivities. Apart from this, RMC will also develop 50 temporary Chhath ghats in the city, so that devotees do not face any difficulties." Lighting arrangements would also be ensured at Chhath ghats and generator facilities will be provided for emergency power supply, he said.

"Our utmost focus is on the cleanliness of all the identified water bodies and the repair of the stairs at the ponds," he said.

Gaurav said that apart from this, the RMC is removing encroachments from the ghat areas.

"We have instructed our enforcement teams to inspect all the Chhath ghats. If anybody tries to encroach, we will take legal action against them," the RMC commissioner said.

SSP Rakesh Ranjan said, "Tight security arrangements will be ensured to provide a secure environment for the devotees." Meanwhile, the Ranchi Traffic Police announced route diversions and restrictions on vehicle movements in the city on October 27 and 28, officials said.

Traffic diversions will remain in effect from 8 am on October 27 till the conclusion of festivities on October 28.

The entry of heavy vehicles into the city will be restricted from 8 am to 11 pm on October 27. On October 28, the restrictions will be in place from 2 am to 10 am, during which heavy vehicles will be routed through the Ring Road. Usual no-entry rules will continue to apply, they added.

According to officials, the movement of small goods vehicles would be restricted from 2 pm to 8 pm on October 27. Between 3 pm and 8 pm on that day, movement of auto-rickshaws and e-rickshaws would be restricted from Chandni Chowk in Kanke to Ram Mandir.

In addition, vehicle movement will be restricted from Firayalal toward Chadri Pond and from Jail Chowk towards Firayalal.

At least 13 parking spots have been identified for the convenience of devotees, including Nagababa Khatal, the vegetable market parking, CMPDI, Gandhinagar, Rock Garden, Shalimar Bazar and Shaheed Maidan, officials said. PTI RPS MNB RPS ACD