Ghazipur Ghats Get Floating Barriers, Divers for Chhath

Ahead of Chhath Puja, the Ghazipur administration has announced a series of safety measures at the district's Ganga ghats, including floating barriers, barricading, and permanent deployment of divers. District Magistrate Anupam Shukla outlined the plan during a briefing on the festival and the ongoing census work.

The DM said that all important ghats will be fitted with floating barriers along with barricades. The aim is to prevent drowning incidents that have occurred in the past, including some recent deaths.

Shukla said meetings were held with boatmen and divers to finalise arrangements. He recalled that about eight people had died in the previous year, which prompted the administration to tighten safety protocols.

To make help quickly accessible, the mobile numbers of divers will be displayed at relevant points on the ghats. At locations that draw large crowds, divers will be stationed on a permanent basis.

The DM acknowledged that rescue teams sometimes take too long to reach people in distress, and this delay has at times cost lives. He said special arrangements are being made so that immediate help is available whenever someone falls into the water.

Ghazipur has around 95 kilometres of the Ganga flowing through the district, which makes safety planning especially important, he said. Damaged areas will be repaired and facilities upgraded to support the festival.

Separately, the DM spoke about the census. He said the exercise is a head count with no link to citizenship and is conducted under the Census Act. Self-enumeration will run from November 15 to November 30, followed by house-to-house visits from December 1 for a month.

Enumerators are currently being trained in every tehsil. The census gathers details on occupation, income sources, and housing type, which the government uses to plan welfare schemes, Shukla said.

He urged residents to cooperate with enumerators and to seek clarification if they have doubts about the process.