VIJAYAWADA: District Collector J Nivas announced that a helicopter ride will be launched for devotees visiting Vijayawada during the Dasara festival. He informed that a six-minute helicopter ride would cost Rs 3,500 per person and a 15-minute ride will cost Rs 6,000 for each person.
The Collector along with City Police Commissioner B Sreenivasulu and other officials on Tuesday inspected the festival arrangements made between Seethamma Vari Padalu and Mallikarjuna Maha Mandapam. Initially, the duo inspected the land allocated for arranging tonsure halls and expressed their dissatisfaction on land levelling works done by the temple engineers.
Nivas and Sreenivasulu suggested the civic body officials to take up land levelling works and set up benches at the tonsure hall. They also inspected the shower facilities arranged for the devotees near Seethamma Vari Padalu.Instructions were given to the officials to demolish the traffic wall between Seethamma Vari Padalu and Krishnaveni Ghat for the convenience of the devotees.
After inspecting the arrangements made for the queue lines and installation of the barricades, the duo expressed their satisfaction and directed the officials concerned to make foolproof arrangement especially for the parking of vehicles.Speaking to the mediapersons, Nivas said devotees visiting the hill shrine during the festivities should enrol their details online.
He reiterated that in view of the existing Covid protocol, only 10,000 devotees will be allowed per day to to pay obeisance to the presiding deity as per the time slot. Of the total, 4,000 devotees will be allowed for free darshan, 3,000 through Rs 300 darshan tickets and the remaining 3,000 will be allowed through Rs 100 darshan tickets, he said.
The police commissioner assured that foolproof arrangements are being made by the department, in coordination with festival coordination committee members. Devotees will not be allowed to take a holy dip in the Krishna River, instead showers have been arranged for their convenience at Seethamma Vari Padalu, he informed.