Patna: For the celebration of Bihar’s Chhath Puja, devotees will be able to offer prayers in 28 parks across Patna, including Patna Zoo. The zoo administration and park authorities have begun preparations, with lake cleaning and water safety measures underway. The lake will be treated with bleaching and lime, maintaining a water depth of three to four feet within a barricaded area to ensure safe access for devotees. Entry beyond the barricades will be restricted, and security and lighting will be enhanced at all prayer sites.
At the zoo, additional facilities, including lighting along the lake shore, changing rooms, toilets, and water stations, are being arranged to accommodate the 15,000 to 20,000 devotees expected to visit. The city’s parks, frequently visited by locals for Chhath Puja, are also undergoing pond cleaning. Most park ponds were already in good condition, with only a few needing extensive cleaning, which will be completed before the festival’s Kharna phase. These efforts aim to provide devotees a safe and serene environment for worship amidst nature.
Parks across Patna with arghya facilities include Punaichak Park, Shivaji Park, Rental Flat Park 34, Ram Sundar Das Park, Shahid Kishore Kunal Park, K Sector Park, Janata Flat Park, G 22 Park, Doctor Colony G 9 Park, Defence Colony Park, and many others. Each park is being prepared with clean ponds, ensuring the city’s devotees have convenient, accessible places to offer prayers.
Meanwhile, at Digha Patipul Ghat, authorities are addressing safety concerns as devotees face a steep, raw slope covered in sand and soil, which remains slippery. Improvements to the slope’s approach path from Ganga Path are in progress. Barricades have been installed, and dangerous sections in the river have been marked with red cloth, while bamboo stakes are wrapped in yellow. Sandbags are also prepared for areas where the Ganga is deeper, with an allocation of Rs 24.92 lakh set aside for Digha Patipul Ghat’s development and beautification.
