VIJAYAWADA: A day after the boulders rolled down Indrakeeladri creating panic among the devotees during the Dasara festivities, the authorities of Kanaka Durga temple on Thursday placed water tubs adjacent to the place where the landslide occurred. However, the temple officials drew flak for this move.
The engineering department officials said that along with boulders, slush of mud also rolls down Indrakeeladri. "We have placed water tubs so as to reduce the impact of landslides. Moreover, iron fencing on the hillock was strengthened and precautionary measures are being taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents," an engineering department official said.
Meanwhile, TTD board member and MLA K Parthasarathi presented silk clothes to Goddess Kanaka Durga adorned as Sri Lalitha Tripura Sundari Devi on behalf of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. Durga temple executive officer MV Suresh Babu, along with the temple priests, accorded traditional welcome to Parthasarathi and presented the portrait of the deity.
Kanipakam Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka Swamy temple executive officer Ch Chandrashekhar Reddy also presented silk clothes to the Goddess on behalf of the temple. Later in the evening, temple trust board committee chairman P Somi Naidu and EO Suresh Babu felicitated 50 priests at the sixth floor of Mallikarjuna Maha Mandapam on the occasion of Dasara festivities.
A cash incentive of Rs 3,500, traditional silk clothes and prasadam were given to the priests on the occasion. Temple head priest Y Malleswara Sastry and others were also present.