Arrangements on track for Bonalu celebrations

Hyderabad : Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Thursday asked officials to make all arrangements for the month-long Ashada Masam (Bonalu festival) starting from July 7.

He suggested that since this year’s festival was being celebrated for the first time after the formation of the Congress government, it should be more grandly than before. Of the total of over 3,000 temples, about 2,400 are in the Hyderabad area; hence officials should be vigilant.

The minister said he would bring to the notice of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Endowments Minister Konda Surekha to increase funds given to temples this time. He said officials should ensure the cheques are distributed to temples on time. The public representatives would offer silk clothes to 28 important temples in the city. He said there was a possibility of more devotees coming for the festival than before as there was free bus facility under the Maha Lakshmi scheme.

Prabhakar said the GHMC should be careful about sanitation in the city and ensure no shortage of drinking water. He asked officials to arrange health camps in major temples and ensure that ambulances were available. He said display boards should be set up so that huge ‘tottelu’ can be raised without any difficulties for devotees.

The minister said the traffic police should take precautionary measures in the wake of heavy traffic near temples. He suggested that officials of Endowments, police and other departments should arrange a meeting with all temple festival committees in the city. He warned none should be careless until the Bonalu festival gets over.