Vijayawada: Devotees faced severe inconvenience during the ongoing Dasara Sharannavaratri celebrations at Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam atop Indrakeeladri due to poor coordination among various departments. Common devotees reportedly had to wait two to three hours for darshan, while traffic was heavily jammed on the ghat road after police officials stopped vehicles at the toll gate for about an hour without prior notice.

Several VIPs and devotees holding special puja tickets for rituals such as Kumkuma Puja, Chandi Homam, and Sri Chakrarchana were also blocked at the toll gate. The confusion arose from a lack of understanding between police and temple officials, affecting both special rituals and general darshan.

Following state government instructions, VIP darshan slots were reduced from four to three hours, scheduled at 5–6 am, 2–3 pm, and 8–9 pm, but many VIPs did not adhere to the revised schedule, increasing the crowd at the temple.

The temple authorities implemented restrictions on several VIP queue line gates atop Indrakeeladri due to the overwhelming influx of devotees seeking darshan. This led to multiple instances where access to the goddess Kanaka Durga Devi was denied to VIPs.

Also, several devotees failed to participate in the Special Pujas though they purchased tickets. Observations indicated a notable lack of coordination between the police and temple officials, contributing to the confusion and delays experienced by the devotees.

People’s representatives, political leaders, and officials from various departments also sought VIP and protocol darshan, further complicating crowd management. The absence of effective coordination between police, temple, revenue, and other departments directly impacted common devotees, resulting in long waiting times to see Goddess Kanaka Durga Devi. Authorities have urged better inter-departmental coordination to ensure smooth darshan in the remaining days of the festival.