HYDERABAD: The State government is set to arrange Covid-19 mobile testing units and vaccination camps near temples in the city during Ashada Bonalu. A decision in this regard was taken at a high-level meeting on the coordination for the arrangements of the Bonalu festival was held at Dr MCR HRD Institute on Friday. Cultural events showcasing Telangana culture and tradition will be organised at 189 temples in the city by the artistes.
The meeting was attended by Ministers Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Mahmood Ali, Ch Malla Reddy, and Director-General of Police M Mahender Reddy, Bonalu Usthava Committee members, and the top officials from different departments.During the meeting, it was decided to arrange large LED screens to broadcast the festivities at major squares in the city. The electricity department officials were asked to arrange mobile transformers for seamless power supply. Also, the TSRTC MD Sunil Sharma was requested to display advertisements on RTC buses.
The cinematography minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav directed the officials to work in tandem for the smooth conduction of Bonalu, Telangana’s traditional Hindu festival centered on the Goddess Mahakali. He said that last year Bonalu was not organised on a grand note due to the Covid-19 situation. “Now the situation has changed. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has directed to celebrate the festival on a grand note. The CM also granted Rs 15 crore to temples for decoration purposes and performing religious rituals, and another `60 crore for arrangement,” the Minister said. He has pledged to donate masks and sanitisers for three lakh people personally.