Ranchi: As the impact of Cyclone Arnab eased on Friday morning, Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) officials inspected Chhath ghats after two days of relentless rain disrupted cleaning and civic preparations.Authorities said the wet spell had slowed work but would not affect the deadline.RMC public health officer Dr Kiran Kumari, who visited sites including Bada Talab, said pond water levels had risen, though structural damage was minimal.“The primary setback was that we could not achieve 100 per cent worker deployment amid the heavy downpours. However, cleaning operations in and around all designated ghats will resume at full capacity from Saturday if the weather clears up,” she said.Rain also delayed electrical repairs and installations on routes and at the venues. Additional municipal commissioner Sanjay Kumar said, “In addition to existing street lights, we are deploying 88 generators across all ghats to power over 1,500 temporary lights. Electrical work did slow down due to the downpours, but the pace will pick up immediately as weather conditions improve,” he said.Kumar added that stone dust on approach roads and submerged safety barricades inside water bodies would be taken up after rain stops. “We have ample time on hand, and all tasks will be wrapped up on schedule. Alongside Chhath preparations, our teams are also handling pre- and post-event sanitation for Kali Puja. To expedite the ghat cleanup, heavy machinery including weed harvesters and earthmovers has been deployed alongside dedicated manual sanitation crews at every city pond,” he said.Across 72 ghats, RMC is clearing garbage, trimming grass, sweeping, and treating water with bleaching powder and alum. Teams will divert sewage, cover drains, clear immersion remains within 24 hours after Kali Puja, repair roads, level approaches, install barricades, changing rooms, and temporary lights for devotees.
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