Visakhapatnam: Simhachalam temple all set to celebrate Chandanotsavam

Visakhapatnam: District collector A Mallikarjuna directed the executive officer of Simhachalam Devasthanam to make necessary arrangements for the forthcoming 'Chandanotsavam'. Various issues were discussed at a coordination meeting held here on Wednesday with various department officials regarding the annual festival scheduled on May 3.

Speaking on the occasion, the collector said that tents should be erected at the queue lines and steps should be taken to provide carpet for the devotees. This, he said, is meant to provide relief from the summer heat.

He also ordered the temple EO to increase VIP slots and print tickets with barcodes. Mallikarjuna mentioned that wheelchairs should be made ready for the aged and differently abled persons. He said that services of volunteers should be availed and they should be given ID cards and the line of duty should be allotted to them in advance.

Chandanotsavam darshan tickets will be available for Rs.300, Rs.500, Rs.1,000 and Rs.1,200, Mallikarjuna clarified.

He gave instructions to follow Covid-19 safety measures and surgical masks must be made available at the shrine for the devotees.

Speaking on the arrangements made for the festival, EO MV Surya Kala said, "It is estimated that about 2 lakh devotees will visit the shrine this year as the festival has not been held for the past two years due to the pandemic situation." According to her, darshan will start at 3 a.m. and continue till midnight.

MLC Vamsi Krishna Srinivas Yadav, joint collector KS Viswanathan, assistant collector Atithi Singh and DRO Srinivasamurthy, temple trust board members and other officials were present.