VIJAYAWADA: Preparations were going in full swing in the city on Sunday for the eleven-day Vinayaka Chavithi festivities beginning from Monday. Nearly all residential welfare associations, festival organising committees and youth were busy in giving final touches to their pandals erected at the street corners with Ganesha idols of all sizes.
Taking advantage of the situation, vendors have set up stalls on Besant Road, One Town, Patamata, Benz Circle, Satyanarayanapuram, Bhavanipuram, Ajith Singh Nagar areas with the public lining up to purchase decorative material. People irrespective of age-group were seen bargaining with idol sellers who had jacked up the prices for the last-minute rush.
For the last three-and-a-half decades, Sri Maha Ganapathi Mahotsava Committee at Besant Road has been organising the festival on a grand scale. Like every year, a huge pandal was erected for the festivity with 14-feet high Ganesha idol, brought from Dhoolpet in Hyderabad.
One Town area also wore the festive look with Vinayaka temple on Canal Road being spruced up.
Meanwhile, Rajiv Gandhi Wholesale Flower Market witnessed unprecedented rush from the early hours of Sunday.
The market procured about 800 tonne of flowers including roses, chrysanthemums, marigold and others against the regular 450 tonnes. Anticipating the demand from the public, prices of the flowers were also hiked.