Kashi all set to welcome Telugu pilgrims, tasks assigned to departments

VARANASI: The district administration has intensified preparations for the the Pushkaralu festival starting on April 22 in the city. To ensure that Telugu pilgrims coming to the city for the festival do not face any inconvenience, the administration has assigned tasks to all the departments concerned to make prior arrangements for boarding transport, signage, Telugu speaking guides and other facilities.
While reviewing the preparations for the festival at a meeting of the officials on Saturday evening, the district magistrate S Rajalingam asked the Varanasi Municipal Corporation, tourism, police, roadways and other departments to maintain proper coordination for all necessary arrangements.“As the pilgrims are expected to arrive in a large number, the tourism officials have been asked to make an estimate to prepare the list of dharamshalas and hotels by checking their capacity in order to ensure that visitors do not face crisis of accommodation facility,” he said. The task to arrange Telugu speaking guides in sufficient numbers has also been assigned to tourist officials. The VMC was asked to chalk out a plan for sanitary exercises and establishing help centres, he said adding, “Warning signage should be installed in river Ganga for the safety of pilgrims reaching there for holy bath.
Changing rooms should also be created along the ghats in sufficient numbers.”Rajalingam said, “Parking sites should be developed in advance for those pilgrims coming by buses or personal vehicles.” Roadways officials were asked to arrange electric buses at railway stations for those pilgrims, who would reach the city by trains. Chief medical officer was directed to assess the number of medical teams to be deployed at different point during Pushkaralu.The 12-day Pushkaralu fest of Telugu people is going to be held along the holy Ganga this year after a gap of 12 years. It will commence from April 22. Major religious centres along the Ganga, especially Kashi and Haridwar, will witness a turnout of lakhs of Telugu people from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.