Government sanctions 15 cr for Bonalu festivities

Hyderabad : The State government has allocated Rs 15 crore for conduct of the 'Ashadha Bonalu,' the State festival, next month. This was stated by Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav at the Secretariat here along with Endowments Minister A Indrakaran Reddy and Home Minister Mahamood Ali on Monday.

The ministers jointly held a meeting with the officials concerned in connection with the traditional Bonalu festival celebrations in the city and across the State. Yadav said that the popular Golconda Bonalu festival would be held on July 4, Secunderabad Mahankali Bonalu on July 21 and in Old City on July 28.

The Ministers directed the officials to see that the State festival was conducted on a grand scale. Yadav said that the GHMC would prepare proposals worth Rs 22 crore for providing facilities like roads, repairs, power supply, lighting of historic places and monuments, sanitation and about Rs 3 lakh for distributing drinking water satchets.

They said that the Endowments Department would take steps for barricading and the TS Transco would ensure power supply using additional transformers. The officials were asked to run extra trips of Metro Rail to transport the devotes for Bonalu, besides parking and security.

Home Minister Mahmood Ali instructed the officials to make arrangements in advance for the festivities as the government was conducting all the festivals with equal priority. Indrakaran Reddy said that silk clothes would be presented to the presiding deities at 26 important temples and make available prasadams for distribution to devotees.