The great divide between the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless, the rulers and the ruled looks self-evident even in religious preparations too. For, the administration and the civic authorities seem to give special attention to VVIP ponds and ghats for Chhath puja at the same time neglecting the ghats for the commoners.
The VVIP Chhath Ghat near Governor House, popularly known as Hatania Talab is all prepared to welcome VVIP ‘guests’ including the Governor, Chief Minister, political stalwarts and senior officials , while other ghats for the common man are yet to be properly cleaned up by the administration and the civic body. In order to keep
water clean for the VVIPs, even the stairs of Hatania Talab are being washed with lime powder besides spreading bleaching powder into the water.
The district administration is providing all support to the organizing committee- Bhartiya Youth Sangathan at Hatania Talab to make the rituals convenient and hassle free for the VVIPs. Ranchi DC Vinay Kumar Chaubey on Saturday had also expressed dissatisfaction over the preparations being done by the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC).
“Although, this ghat is flooded by the common people during Chhath Puja, some of the VVIP devotees like Governor, Chief Minister as well as dozens of
bureaucrats and politicians also come here, hence we have to take extra precaution in cleaning this ghat,” said patron of the organizing committee Dilip Gope. We also get proper support from the district administration from time to time, he added.
According to the members of ‘Bhartiya Youth Sangathan,’ committees managing the crowd during Chhath Puja since 2004, they also get the support of the people as well as several influential people of the locality.
The stairs of this ghat is being properly washed with lime powder so that no one get a slip while offering the prayer to the Sun God while dozens of other important water bodies at Hinoo, Kadru and Kanke catering to thousands of common people are yet to properly cleaned by the RMC.
“The RMC staffs had come here for cleaning up the pond but did it half heartedly leaving the remains of the immersed idols of deities and other waste particles in it, being cleaned by the committee members,” said an organizing committee member at Button Talab in Doranda. No pesticides are being applied at the ghats, letting hygiene of the devotees at stake, he added.
We have been able to convince the people surrounding us regarding the importance of cleanliness during Chhath Puja and have included several influential people to get connected to us and Coal India limited is the latest one which has also promised to extend a helping hand for the committee,” said Gope.
Apart from other facilities, this ghat is properly equipped with CCTV cameras and women constables to check any untoward incident during the festive season.