The State government on Thursday issued orders declaring Dasara festival at Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam here as State festival. The government, however, did not mention anything about the budget and funding for the festival in GO 3032.
It has been a long pending demand from various quarters.
The demand used to crop up whenever Chief Minister or Endowments Minister visited the temple. The government (in combined Andhra Pradesh) had accorded State festival status to the Sitarama Kalyanam organised at Bhadrachalam in Khammam district (now in Telangana State).
Likewise, Samakka-Saralamma Jatara (Telangana) and Kotappakonda tirunallu (Guntur, Andhra Pradesh) were declared State festivals. The State government bears the expenditure involved in conducting these festivals.
The temple authorities did not pursue the matter seriously all these years though it incurs an expenditure of about Rs. 4 crore on Dasara festival.
More than 10 lakh devotees throng Kanaka Durga temple during Dasara every year
. In addition, an additional three lakh to four lakh Bhavanis visit the temple immediately after Dasara festivities.
The temple has been spending not less than Rs. 4 crore every year for making Dasara arrangements.
The other government departments like Roads and Buildings (R&B) and Irrigation, show least interest in providing facilities, and demand that the temple meet their expense.
The temple makes arrangements like barricading, besides erecting tents and shamiyanas and arranging queue lines, sanitation, drinking water at the ghats. Some works have to be done by R&B, irrigation, and VMC. However, the temple is taking up the works as those departments cite fund crunch.
