day before Vinayaka Chaviti, Srikakulam wore festive look on Wednesday with the establishment of pandals and heavy rush at Potti Sriramulu market with the people thronging to buy idols and puja material. It has become a Herculean task to enter the market area with the huge rush from Wednesday morning itself. Traffic police deployment had posted extra personnel to control the vehicular traffic.
Meanwhile, Ganesh idols were distributed at Vijaya Ganapati temple, Raghavendra Swamy temple and other areas. Srikakulam SP A.S. Khan and Citizens Forum president Baratam Kameswara Rao distributed the idols at Raghavendra Swamy temple. Srikakulam Collector P. Lakshmi Narasimham said that youngsters understood the importance of eco-friendly festival and use of idols made up of mud.
Srikakulam Town Merchants Association illuminated the entire GT Road and made elaborate arrangements for the nine-day festival. Association president Patnala Srinivasa Rao said common people would also be given opportunity to participate in Ganesh homam to be performed every day at the pandal.
Chittoor Staff Reporter adds: hundreds of people thronged the Gandhi Bomma Junction in Chittoor town on Wednesday to purchase the clay idols of Lord Ganesh prepared by the AP Pollution Control Board.
Inaugurating the sales counter, District Collector Siddarth Jain sought the people to strictly avoid idols made of plaster of Paris and with a coat of chemicals. He said that the parents should encourage the children to cherish a liking for clay idols and this in turn become a healthy tradition for the posterity.
AP Pollution Control Board Deputy Engineer V. Madhan Mohan said that the Board had used the services of local artisans in Kadapa, Madanapalle, Chittoor and Tirupati to make over 10,000 clay idols of Ganesh, and steps were taken to sell them to public at highly subsidised rates. “Though we spend Rs. 40 per idol, we sell it for Rs. 15 only,” he said. Chittoor Nature Lovers Association presidentMurali said that about 1,000 idols made of clay was prepared by their forum for public distribution.
