VIJAYAWADA: Over the years, officials of the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam, atop Indrakeeladri, are giving top priority and spending crores for making temporary arrangements for devotees during the conduct of annual festivals like Dasara and Bhavani Deeksha relinquishment.
In October 2015, the State Government declared Dasara as a State festival, and this has escalated the festival budget to Rs 10 crore. But the temple authorities did not plan measures to construct permanent structures to conduct Annadanam, Prasadam Pottu (kitchen) and dormitory facility for the devotees visiting the hill shrine from other parts of the country.
Several devotees are criticising the devasthanam for lavishly spending for temporary arrangements rather than evolving measures to develop permanent structures for the convenience of the devotees. ‘’It has become a routine affair for the temple authorities to dig up the road stretch between canal road and hill shrine for erecting the temporary queues and tonsure the hall opposite Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) office’’, alleged K Poornachandra Rao, a devotee.
‘’Where will lakhs of devotees visiting the temple stay during the Bhavani Deeksha relinquishment. Accommodation has been a big problem for Goddess Kanaka Durga temple authorities’’, said N Ramadevi, devotee from Bhimavaram. Devasthanam should evolve measures in constructing cottages which is the long pending demand from devotees, she added.
When contacted, temple trust board members said around Rs 98.8 lakh was sanctioned for executing various development works like arranging temporary toilets, medical camps information centres, and changing rooms, for the smooth conduct of the festivities. While Rs 10 lakh was sanctioned to install CCTV cameras on rental basis, Rs 21 lakh was set aside for electrification works on Ghat road.