Endowments Minister V. Srinivasa Rao on Thursday said elaborate arrangements had been made in strict adherence to the COVID-19 guidelines for the 12-day Tungabhadra Pushkaralu.
Addressing the media here, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy would inaugurate the festival at 1.21 p.m. on Friday (November 20) in Kurnool district. The festival would be celebrated till December 1. Devotees would be allowed at the ghats from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. only, the Minister said.
All the departments, including Revenue, Police, Municipal, Medical and Health, Endowments, Fisheries, Irrigation and Fire, had coordinated in the works that were supervised at regular intervals by the Ministers from the district Buggana Rajendranath Reddy and Jairam, and Kurnool district in-charge Minister P. Anil Kumar.
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Appeal to devotees
Roads were developed in Kurnool city and in the gram panchayat limits and ghats were constructed. Showers had been made available at the bathing ghats, the Minister said, and appealed to the devotees to extend their cooperation in maintaining social distance at the ghats.
Of the total 23 ghats available, seven were in Kurnool, eight in Mantralayam, five in Kodumuru, two in Yemmiganuru and one in Nandikotkuru. Besides free e-ticket booking facility, there would be availability of 350 priests at the ghats to help devotees perform rituals.
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To maintain order at the ghats, the timings of pujas or a specific ritual and the venue would be made known and people should cooperate by following them religiously.
To ensure adequate monitoring, 23 incharges had been appointed. Besides, 16 committees of nodal officers would work to ensure peace and harmony across the ghats.
Unlike during the TDP term when huge funds had been misused in the name of Krishna-Godavari Pushkaralu, the government was now focussed on providing best facilities to the people visiting the ghats.