HYDERABAD: IF sources are to be believed, the State government is planning to acquire about 100 acres of land in the non-submerged areas near Bhadrachalam town. This, so that they could construct more cottages, guest houses and rooms in the area for devotees and tourists to stay, during their visit to the temple town.
It is learnt that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had revealed the plan to the temple officials during a recent meeting. According to the officials, the minister said that the move was a part of the government’s decision to develop the facilities at the temple and make available top-class facilities to the devotees of Lord Rama.
The government is likely to acquire or purchase about 100 acres of land near the Sarapaka village, on either side of the Godavari river. The village is not facing a flood threat, and could, therefore, hold multiple cottages, guest houses and rooms without risk of much damage. It is expected that the new buildings would be able to accommodate thousands of devotees. For a while now, complaints regarding the lack of sufficient accommodation for devotees in Bhadrachalam has been replete. Especially during large-scale festivals like Sita-Rama Kalyanam and Mukkoti Vaikunta Ekadashi, devotees have struggled to avail accommodation near the Ramalayam temple. At present, there are only a few cottages and rooms available near the temple, and during most important festivals and weekends, they are booked up by VVIPs and other influential people. Meanwhile, the majority of the devotees struggle to find accommodation as private lodges are very few in number and those that are available charge from Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000 for a 12-hour stay. Many of these devotees come from far-away parts of the country.
Over the years, this lack of accommodation and high prices quoted by firms have significantly brought down the number of devotees visiting Ramalayam during festivals. This is why the State government is planning to provide better accommodation facilities to devotees, said a temple official.“It is shameful that there are not enough accommodation facilities here. If the news is true, I am glad that at least now the State government is thinking about the devotees,” said BJP district secretary A Subba Rao.