KURNOOL: The Nandyal district administration has made elaborate arrangements for the 11-day Maha Shivaratri Brahmotsavams at Srisaila Devasthanam from Saturday. District Collector Manazir Jeelani Saamoon, along with SP K Raghuveer Reddy, temple Executive Officer S Lavanna and Temple Trust Board Chairman R Chakrapani Reddy, held a final review meeting and inspected all arrangements on Friday.
The celebrations will begin with Yagasala Pravesam, Shiva Sankalpam and Ganapathi Puja on Saturday and ends with Dhwajavarohana in which Dhwaja Pataka is removed from Dhwajasthambam. The bomb disposal and access control teams, CCTV cameras, drones, hand-held metal detectors, deep search mine detectors and explosive vapour detectors have been deployed to ensure tight security. The SP urged devotees to cooperate with police to thwart any untoward incidents. The police department has deployed nearly 2,400 personnel for the smooth conduct of the festival, he added.
Kurnool Region of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has decided to ply as many as 500 special buses from various places for the convenience of devotees visiting Srisailam. Kurnool RTC Regional Manager T Venkata Ramam said 110 buses from Kurnool-Srisailam, 67 buses from Adoni, 4 buses from Pathikonda, 62 buses from Yemmiganur, 75 from Nandyal and over 150 buses from other districts have been arranged.