Cleanliness neglect leads to woes: Chhath puja marred by unclean river ghats; Devotees demand accountability from local authorities

Jamshedpur: The devotees taking part in Chaiti Chhath rituals, which ended on Wednesday morning, at various river ghats in the Steel City, had a harrowing time as most of the ghats had not been cleaned by the local administration. There are more than a dozen ghats along Kharkai and Subarnarekha rivers here, where Chhath devotees perform puja and offer sunset and sunrise 'arghya'.

More than one lakh devotees took part in the puja on Tuesday and Wednesday in the city. Rama Devi, a devotee at Dumohini ghat in Sonari, told TOI on Wednesday, "Those taking part in Chhath puja have to walk barefoot to the river ghat. While walking on the river bank me and many of my family members were injured as broken pieces of glass were littered on the sand and we could not spot it. There was no first aid available. During Chhath in winter, the local administration and many NGOs clean the ghats to ensure safety of devotees but in Chaiti Chhath no such steps had been taken."

Mohan Yadav, a banker and devotee, said, “The river water was extremely dirty. We had to hire some local boys, paying hefty amounts to clean the water so that puja could be performed. The administration should take note that during summer both the rivers have less water and it is more dirty as many drains of the city pour in filth without treatment. The ghats from Bistupur to Kadma and Mango to Baridih are worst affected.”

Suman Srivastava from Sonari said, "No arrangements have been made for women to change clothes after bathing at river ghats. Local MLAs and MP should make necessary arrangements."