Over one lakh people take holy dip at beaches in Bapatla district of Andhra Pradesh on Kartika Somavaram

Light rainfall kept many away, say police officials

Superintendent of Police Vakul Jindal reviewing security arrangements at Suryalanka beach on the last Monday of the auspicious Kartika Masam.

Thousands of devotees took a holy dip at beaches in Bapatla district on Monday on the occasion of Kartika Somavaram. Suryalanka, Ramapuram and Vodarevu beaches were teeming with devotees right from the wee hours of Monday.

“The number of devotees was slightly lesser when compared to Sunday because of moderate rainfall on Monday morning,” Superintendent of Police Vakul Jindal said.

Mr. Jindal said that on Sunday, there were more than 1.50 lakh devotees who came to Suryalanka alone while another 30,000 devotees went to the Chirala, Vodarevu and other beaches in the district..

Safety measures

Mr. Jindal said that they deployed swimmers at the beaches to prevent drownings. For every 50 metres, two swimmers were deployed. Apart from the swimmers, a large number of police personnel were also deployed to maintain order. Patrolling boats kept a watch on the devotees taking a dip in the sea. Fishermen were also requested to be on the lookout for people who waded in too deep into the sea.

Red flags were also placed at several places along the coast cautioning people not to venture beyond them.