Patna administration on Thursday launched ‘Chhath Puja’ mobile application for the convenience of devotees and easy access to information.
The four-day Chhath festival will commence on Friday with the ‘Nahaye Khaye’ ritual.
The mobile application will help locals get information regarding the list of safe and unsafe ghats, parking lots, GPS navigation and contact details of deployed officers.
Patna district magistrate Chandra Shekhar Singh flagged off 22 water tankers for household distribution of holy water in different localities for the next two days.
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He said, “Patna Municipal Corporation will carry out door step distribution of holy water which is required for preparing ‘prasad’ and perform rituals during Chhath festival. Preparation at all ghats is going on in full swing. Concerned officials have been asked to complete all preparation by Thursday night.”
Apart from this, the district administration has declared at least 16 Ganga ghats unsafe for Chhath Puja while elaborate arrangements are being made 89 ghats and 45 ponds for the festive celebration.
Singh said the identified unsafe ghats will remain blocked for people for safety purpose.
The unsafe ghats include Nariyal Ghat, Bans Ghat, Collectorate Ghat, Mahendru Ghat, TN Banarjee Ghat, Anta Ghat, Adalat Ghat, and Kila Ghat due to high water level and swampy river banks.
“Barricading of ghats has been completed. Basic amenities like separate toilet facility for men and women, safe drinking water, changing room, shade and parking lot are being made. CCTV cameras have been installed at ghats for closely monitoring the crowd”, said a senior official of district administration.
Meanwhile, devotees thronged local markets for buying fruits, vegetables and puja articles for performing rituals.
Ramesh, a vendor near Station Road, said, “I have sold around 50 earthen stoves after Diwali. Sale of bamboo-baskets, trays and ‘daura’ has also picked up. I suffered a huge loss last year due to Covid-19 restrictions.”