The Bihar government on Monday issued nine-point safety directives to all districts for the Chhath festival, banning the sale and use of firecrackers near river banks and ponds and imposing a complete ban on private boat operations during Arghya, the Disaster Management Department said in a statement reported by Dainik Jagran's State Bureau in Patna.

Source: Dainik Jagran

Chhath, Bihar's biggest festival, runs from November 13 to 16 this year and draws millions of devotees to riverbanks, ponds and other water bodies for evening and morning Arghya offerings. The department said the directives require districts to prepare in advance for drowning incidents, stampedes and other emergencies.

Source: SRK Bharat

What the nine directives order

Under the directives, dangerous ghats must be identified and barricaded in every district, with adequate security forces and volunteers deployed at each ghat, and magistrates, police and security guards posted to enforce the boat ban. Ambulances, emergency medical teams and Quick Medical Response Teams (QMRTs) must be stationed at the ghats, and trained divers are to be deployed at river and pond ghats with life jackets, inflatable motorboats and, where available, country boats, so rescues can begin immediately in case of a drowning.

Districts must also ensure adequate lighting at the ghats and on access paths, using inflatable emergency lighting systems where provided; keep district control rooms running 24 hours a day, with any incident reported at once to the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC); prepare emergency action and communication plans in advance; and hold meetings with Chhath Puja committees, whose members will be given training and guidance to work with the administration in an emergency.

The state also published its emergency numbers for the festival: the State Emergency Operations Centre can be reached on 0612-2294204 and 0612-2294205, and the Disaster Management emergency helpline is 1070.

Source: Dainik Jagran

The statewide order follows ground-level preparation already under way in the capital, where the administration has been inspecting Patna's Ganga ghats and classifying them by safety, and a November 6 review by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary of Diwali, Kali Puja and Chhath security arrangements. The test of the directives will come on the riverbanks themselves, when devotees gather in the largest numbers on November 15 and 16 for the evening and morning Arghya.