Hyderabad:Â Telangana minister Konda Surekha on Wednesday, June 24, said this year’s Ashadam Bonalu celebrations will be held across three municipal corporations in Hyderabad, expanding the festival’s footprint beyond the single corporation limit of previous years.
Surekha chaired a coordination meeting for the Bonalu preparations via video conference at the MCR HRD Institute here, attended by ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and Mohammed Azharuddin, Director General of Police (DGP) CV Anand and Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar.
The celebrations will run from July 16 to August 13 across temples in Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Ranga Reddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts, beginning at the Golconda Sri Jagadamba Mahakali Temple.
The minister thanked Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for allocating Rs 20 crore for this year’s event and directed departments to work in coordination to ensure facilities for devotees.
Arrangements to be made
Officials were asked to utilise the funds for temple infrastructure, electrical illuminations, closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, queue management, drinking water, sanitation and medical camps. Special traffic plans, additional buses, medical teams and security arrangements were ordered for high-footfall temples.
Surekha directed that lactation rooms be set up for nursing mothers and that special provisions be made for elderly devotees. She also requested Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar to arrange additional buses, given the expected influx of pilgrims travelling under the state government’s Mahalaxmi free bus scheme.
Traditional programmes, including ghatotsavas, Bonalu offerings, Poturaju veerangam, rangam and saganampu, would be held as part of the celebrations, she said.
