The city wore a festive look on Thursday as the string of bathing ghats along the Krishna and the entire city were decked up for the Krishna Pushkaram, which is set to take off to a colourful start in the early hours of Friday.
A lavish set arranged under the aegis of noted film director Boyapati Srinu on the river at the Pavitrasangamam Ghat, where the Godavari and Krishna merge, and replica temples of different gods were special attractions.
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At the Padmavathi, Krishnaveni, Durga, Punnami and Bhavani ghats workers were seen giving final touches. All the ghats and Pushkar Nagars have been decorated and sign and information boards erected at many places to guide the devotees attending the Pushkaram from different places.
Personnel of Police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), paramilitary forces, Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation , Medical and Health, A.P. Transco, Revenue and other departments have been deployed at the ghats.
Emergency services such as ambulances, fire tenders, medical teams, boats with expert swimmers and police contingents along with their vehicles are kept ready at all the bathing ghats. Officials opened counters and helpline centres and police posts have sprung up.
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Sheds for ‘pinda pradanam’ have been arranged at each ghat and priests provided identity cards by the Endowments Department. Sanitary workers sprinkled water to make the structures concrete and keep them clean. The approach roads, ghats, replica temples, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) model temple at PWD Grounds are illuminated for the 12-day festival.
Long barricades have been erected at temples and bathing ghats to prevent any stampede. Hundreds of RTC buses are stationed at the satellite bus stations from where services will be run to temples and ghats free of cost from Thursday midnight.
Director General of Police N. Sambasiva Rao inspected Punnami, Durga and Pavtirasangamam ghats and inquired about the security arrangements.