Army of voluntary organisations, NGOs chip in to serve devotees

Visakhapatnam: For scores of devotees who embarked on a 32-km-long ‘Giri Pradakshina’, an army of representatives from NGOs, voluntary associations and residential welfare associations along with political leaders came forward to do their part in providing service at various points of the stretch.

All along the Giri Pradakshina route that passed via Adavivaram, Pineapple Colony, Arilova, Ramakrishnapuram, Hanumantawaka, Jodugullapalem, Seethammadhara, HB Colony, MVP Colony, Maddilapalem, Akkayyapalem, port stadium, Muralinagar, Madhavadhara, NAD, APSEB Colony, Gopalapatnam, Bhaji junction, Prahladapuram, Srinivas Nagar and Gosala junction, volunteers chipped in to reach out to the trekkers in one way or the other. They offered assorted supplies to the devotees, including refreshments, snacks, tiffins, water and medicines.

The city branch of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation reached out to the GVMC and police officials, who were on duty, quenching their thirst by serving them glasses of buttermilk. Volunteers of the organisation’s Simhachalam wing gave a soothing foot massage for the devotees applying herb-infused oil and helped them get relieved of pain and exhaustion.

Contributing to the festival, YSRCP east constituency in-charge and VMRDA Chairperson Akramani Vijaya Nirmala served the devotees by supplying flavoured rice near Appu Ghar. At SNR function hall near Ghosala junction, trekkers were treated to idli, fritters and cups of milk.

Extending their support to the plastic-free celebrations that the corporation was emphasising for quite a while, APFERWAS provided cold water in steel glasses to scores of devotees, while Ayushman Hospital at Simhachalam catered to thousands of trekkers by supplying medicines, pepper-laced milk, ORS drinks to them.

Foot: Volunteers of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation giving a soothing massage to the devotees applying herb-infused oil in Visakhapatnam on Sunday