Devotee safety priority at Kotappakonda: Collector

Narasaraopet: On the occasion of Maha Shivaratri on Sunday (February 15), elaborate arrangements have been made with a focus on the safety and convenience of devotees visiting hill shrine Kotappakonda, said Palnadu district Collector Krithika Shukla. She along with e SP B Krishna Rao addressed the media at the Collectorate here on Friday.

She said that they are expecting 1.5 lakh devotees this year, which is 30 per cent higher than last year, and arrangements have been made accordingly. She said Sri Trikoteswara Swamy darshan will commence from 1 am. Separate free queue lines have been arranged for general devotees and all categories of tickets, including Rs 300 VIP tickets, will be available online until February 14. Offline tickets priced at Rs 100, Rs 200, and Rs 500 will be available at counters on the hill.

The Collector said each devotee will receive a free 20-gram laddu after darshan and ten special counters have been set up for laddu sales. She further said that a total of 618 special buses have been arranged, including 120 buses operating continuously to the hilltop. Free travel for women will be provided under the ‘Stree Shakti’ scheme (Aadhaar card mandatory).

She said 6 lakh water bottles, over one lakh buttermilk packets, and one lakh biscuit packets have been stocked.

Shade nets have been installed considering the expected heat. Ten medical camps, 170 medical personnel, and eight ambulances will be deployed.

Sanitation works will be carried out by 440 personnel and will continue until February 16.