Nitish supervises arrangements for Chhath

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday supervised arrangements for Chhath festival and directed officials to ensure safety and cleanliness of ghats for the devotees.

Chhath was marred last year by the stampede at Adalat ghat here in which about 60 people were killed. Kumar, who was on a motor boat stopped at all the ghats, gave directions to officials also to make sure that divers are posted at all the ghats to help people, he told reporters at the end of the inspection. He directed officials to mark with bamboos the point where the devotees could go in the river. Kumar also ordered the Commissioner of Patna to hold a meeting of officials of different departments for micro level study of the arrangements. Water Resources minister Vijay Chaudhary, Power minister Bijendra Yadav, Food minister Shyam Rajak, DGP Abhyanand and senior officials of Road & Bridge, Urban development departments, Patna Municipal Corporation and Building Construction travelled with the CM during the inspection.