Srikakulam Gears Up For Ratha Saptami, Turnout of 1.5 Lakh Devotees
The police have designated multiple parking zones across the town to handle the vehicle influx
Visakhapatnam: The Srikakulam district police have made arrangements for the upcoming Ratha Saptami celebrations at the Arasavalli Suryanarayana Swamy Temple, where a surge in devotee footfall is expected this year.
With Ratha Saptami falling on a Sunday this year and considering the high turnout at recent festivals, the authorities are making arrangements for 1.5 lakh devotees, a substantial increase from the 1.1 lakh last year. The police have designated multiple parking zones across the town to handle the vehicle influx.
An additional parking facility has been set up at the municipal high school ground near Velama Street for vehicles coming via Kazipet. Further spaces have been allocated along the Women's College and the 80-foot road areas.
Between Mill Junction and Oppangi Junction, only emergency service vehicles, including ambulances, medical services, food supply, and public service vehicles would be permitted.
In a major improvement from previous years, the police have introduced a four-lane queue system towards the sanctum sanctorum, prioritizing ordinary devotees and enabling darshan for them in half an hour.
This year's arrangements include expanded and separate queue lines for the `500 darshan and donor passes, along with an online ticketing facility. Devotees with donor passes, which allow a maximum of four people, are requested to arrive as per their specially allocated time slots.
Special crowd holding areas have been established to manage queues, while designated routes with QR scanning ensure uninterrupted darshan for those with special passes and online tickets.
To minimize disruption to ordinary devotees, VVIPs would enter the temple premises through the main arch, have darshan through the Vaikuntha Dwaram and exit from the back of the sanctum sanctorum