The nine-day Dasara festivities are set to commence in just about 10 days, but the developmental works of Kanakadurga temple atop Indrakeeladri continue to move at a snail’s pace. Though the officials earlier announced that the long-pending projects, including widening of ghat road and Arjuna Veedhi and prevention of hill sliding, would be completed before the commencement of the festival, there appears to be no scope for completion of these works before September 19, when the festivities would commence. However, the widening of Arjuna Veedhi is likely to be completed before that.
About 10 lakh pilgrims from different parts of the State are expected to throng the temple on all the nine days. As the Executive Officer of Sri Durga Malleswara Swamivarla Devasthanam T. Chandra Kumar went on sick leave, the Government deputed Joint Commissioner of Endowments Department E. Gopalakrishna Reddy as in-charge Executive Officer.
Mr. Reddy, who worked as Executive Officer of the temple for a long time, exudes confidence that the festival and the celebrations associated with it will be held without any hitch and all the arrangements would be completed two days before the commencement of the festival.
He said that parking, information centres and cloak rooms have been arranged at Kummaripalem for pilgrims coming from Telangana region; at Seetanagaram for those coming from Rayalaseema region; and at Padmavathi ghat and Seetammavari Paadalu for the pilgrims coming from different coastal districts. “We are working in close coordination with the revenue and police authorities and the arrangements are in progress,” he said.
