VIJAYAWADA: Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam, the custodian of Goddess Kanaka Durga temple, has imposed heavy penalties on the shops and hawkers that have encroached upon roads, subjecting visiting pilgrims to severe inconvenience.
On Friday, during a surprise inspection, Durga temple executive officer Ch Narasinga Rao and his staff were shocked to see devotees finding it difficult to negotiate the path to the temple, as most of the road leading to the temple was occupied by shopkeepers and hawkers.
Shopkeepers had extended their shops beyond the allocated space. There had been several complaints regarding the situation in the past.
Taking the violation of rules seriously, the executive officer imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each on six shops allocated by the temple management. Similarly, a total fine of Rs 15,000 was imposed on the shops on the Malleswara Swamy temple premises and Rs 17,000 on hawkers on Durga Ghat.
The temple management also imposed a fine of Rs 3,000 on shoe keepers, who were collecting more than the specified amount from devotees.
Rao also was shocked to find eatables and other material being sold on the Hill at exorbitant prices, especially water bottles. He informed the shopkeepers that if they fail to display price chart of every commodity sold and do not adhere to MRP, a fine of Rs 5,000 on each shop will be imposed and also the licence will be cancelled. He also directed hawkers to sell water bottle at Rs 10 (non-cooling) and Rs 12 (cooling).
Officials Inspect Durga Temple Flyover Site
Preliminary inspection for the works related to the proposed flyover at the Kanaka Durga temple to ease the traffic on the National Highway-9 has been completed, district joint collector Gandham Chandrudu has said. Speaking to newsmen after inspecting the site here Friday, he said once the flyover is complete, the traffic problem in the city will be solved to a large extent. Accompanied by sub-collector S Nagalakshmi, officials from irrigation, municipality, revenue, R&B, NHAI and other departments, Chandrudu inspected the area from Bhavanipuram Lorry Stand to Krishnaveni Pushkar Ghat from 6 am to 9:30 am covering a total of 3 kms. Each and every aspect pertaining to the location of the flyover, pillars and road widening were discussed during the survey. Kummaripalem Centre, Punnami Restaurant, Durga Ghat, Model Guest House, Potti Sriramulu Junction, Prakasam Barrage, Krishnaveni Pushkar Ghat areas were also examined. The team also did a survey of several buildings in those areas. The report will be submitted to the government shortly.