VIJAYAWADA: A day after the 12-day Krishna Pushkaralu, Padmavathi Ghat, one of the major bathing ghats in Vijayawada city, is back to being a dhobi ghat.
Spread over 1.1 km, the Padmavathi Ghat was the nearest point from Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) and was the most preferred ghat for the pilgrims intending to take a holy dip.
The administration demolished houses and other structures to develop the ghat. A day after pushkaram, the washermen, whi mainly inhabit in Krishnalanka, have come back for their regular choses and washed clothes have been spread on the steps of the ghat to dry.
Ch Ranganna, one of those washermen, said that officials had developed the ghat after demolishing their ‘Dhobi Khana’ located on the banks of river Krishna. “We stayed away from the ghat during the river festival. Now that Pushkaralu are over, we are using the ghat to wash the clothes as we have always been doing,” he said.
Meanwhile, the situation was back to square one at the bathing ghat with stray dogs and cattle roaming free.
A large number of used and left over water sachets lay strewn in the ghat and children were seen throwing sachets on one another. They were also seen playing in the stagnant water that let out unbearable stench.
The Krishnaveni Ghat too presented a similar sight. Majority of the children are seen collecting coins and other left over material. The ghat also became a road for locals and parking slot for the private vehicles coming from far and wide.