Nandyal Collector Holds Meeting Over Srisailam Brahmotsavams
As per the plan formulated at the meeting, surroundings of the Srisailam Temple will be divided into 11 zones, with special officers appointed for each zone for effective supervision and implementation of arrangements: Reports
ANANTAPUR: Nandyal collector G. Rajakumari and SP Sunil Shoran organised a review meeting on Friday in connection with the Mahashivaratri Brahmotsavams being held at the Srisailam Temple from February 8 to March 18.
District-level officials from all stakeholder departments participated in the meeting held at the Command Control Room in the Annaprasada Distribution Building premises of the Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple in Srisailam.
The meeting assumes significance in view of the lakhs of devotees attending the Brahmotsavams every year. Keeping in view the numbers, Nandyal district administration has sought cooperation from the neighbouring district of Mahbubnagar in Telangana.
Collector Rajakumari asked all district staff as well as the Devasthanam staff to work in close coordination to ensure a hassle-free experience for devotees, whose number is expected to be around 20 per cent higher than last year.
She instructed officials to ensure that there are no lapses in key areas, such as sanitation, drinking water supply, toilets, parking, transportation and management of queue lines.
As per the plan formulated at the meeting, surroundings of the Srisailam Temple will be divided into 11 zones, with special officers appointed for each zone for effective supervision and implementation of arrangements. The district panchayat officer has been directed to deploy sanitation staff round the clock in three shifts to maintain cleanliness in the area.
Considering that thousands of devotees will arrive on foot covering nearly 46 km of the forest area, the collector directed officials to set up medical camps, ambulances, dustbins, toilets, and shaded shelters along the padayatra routes. She asked Rural Water Supply to collect and test water samples from ponds and wells enroute, which may be used by the pilgrims walking to the Srisailam Shrine.
As part of emergency medical services, seven ambulances will be on standby and 10 medical camps established at various places. A 24-hour medical camp will work in three shifts at Bheemuni Kolanu, through which heavy crowds of devotees pass.
Around 1,800 buses from Telangana, Karnataka, and other districts are expected to arrive in Srisailam during the Brahmotsavams. Robust parking arrangements with directional sign boards about return routes are being planned to prevent traffic congestion.
The collector has ordered special vigilance in the Lingala Gattu area to prevent accidents. Roads are being repaired from Atmakur to Srisailam to facilitate smooth vehicle movement. Mirrors and signboards are being installed along the accident-prone curves on the ghat roads.
SP Sunil Shoran said around 3,000 police personnel will be deployed for the Brahmotsavams. Police and forest personnel will jointly manage traffic near Sakshi Ganapati junction.
Srisailam Temple executive officer M. Srinivasa Rao said hydraulic cranes and recovery vans will be stationed at seven locations to clear traffic disruptions. Parking facilities for 5,450 vehicles are being arranged over 27 acres at different places.
Srinivasa Rao disclosed that 36 lakh laddus will be prepared this year for distribution through 15 prasadam counters.
Those who participated in the meeting including district forest officers of Atmakur, Dornala and Srisailam Vignesh Apova, Neeraj and Bhavitha Kumari respectively, Srisailam Trust Board members Bharadwaj Sharma, Anil Kumar, Gundla Gangamma, Kashinath and Rekha Goud, apart from special deputy collectors and district officials.
