VIJAYAWADA: Chief Secretary K Vijayanand has instructed officials to pay special attention to private temples in the State and the heavy influx of devotees. He reviewed the activities of the department and people’s perception at the RTGS office in the State Secretariat on Monday.
Speaking on the occasion, he said that several festivals and special occasions are lined up in the coming days. As all temples are expected to witness large crowds, officials must also focus on monitoring the private temples within their jurisdiction.
He directed that private temple managements must inform officials in advance about the number of devotees expected during festivals and special occasions, as well as the crowd-control measures being taken. He instructed officials to take necessary action accordingly.
He further said that, for effective crowd control, temple authorities must obtain prior permission from the police and ensure that adequate security arrangements are made at the temples. This, he noted, will help prevent any untoward incidents on the temple premises.
A guideline booklet should be prepared and issued to all private temples, detailing the steps to be taken by temple managements and trustees to control crowds during festivals such as Vaikuntha Ekadasi, Dhanurmasam and other important occasions. Officials should not be negligent, assuming that private temples are outside their purview. Although the responsibility of management lies with the temple authorities and trustees, strong bandobust must be ensured during peak crowd times.
Vijayanand instructed officials to give high priority to cleanliness in temples. Measures should be taken to prevent sanitation lapses and avoid stampede-like situations during heavy rush.
No shortage of fertilisers for Rabi season
The Chief Secretary advised Agriculture Department officials to plan in advance and ensure that there is no shortage of fertilisers during the Rabi season. Responding to this, agriculture officials stated that they have already ensured there is no shortage anywhere and that farmers are receiving sufficient supplies.
They added that adequate arrangements have been made to ensure the continuous availability of fertilisers during the upcoming Rabi season, preventing any shortage-related issues. He suggested that steps be taken to increase public usage of the ‘Manamitra WhatsApp Governance’ platform.