Konaseema Sankranti celebrations from Jan 11

 Amalapuram: Konaseema district collector R Mahesh Kumar directed officials to organise Konaseema Sankranti celebrations and Sir Arthur Cotton Godavari Trophy festival from January 11 to 13 in a grand manner.

He reviewed the arrangements at a meeting held at the Collectorate on Tuesday with RDOs and officials from the tourism, irrigation, and police departments. He said swimming competitions would be held in the Atreyapuram canal from 7 am on January 11. Cash prizes of Rs 8,000, Rs 6,000 and Rs 4,000 will be awarded to the first three winners. On the same day, from 9 am, Rangoli competitions will be conducted on the Atreyapuram main road, with prizes of Rs 20,000 for first place, Rs 10,000 for second place, and Rs 5,000 for third place. Kite flying competitions will be organised at the Atreyapuram canal at 12 noon on January 13, with prizes of Rs 6,000, Rs 4,000 and Rs 3,000 for the winners.

The Konaseema Sankranti celebrations and Godavari Trophy dragon boat festival will be held on January 12 and 13 in the Atreyapuram canal from Ucchili temple to the bridge downstream of Lolla locks.

Teams from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, along with teams from Andhra Pradesh, will take part in the dragon boat races. Around 28 teams are expected to compete, with prize money of Rs 2 lakh for the winning team and Rs 1 lakh for the runner-up. As part of cultural programmes, a cine orchestra will be organised at the Atreyapuram High School ground at 7 pm on January 11. A band and musical programme will be held from 7 pm on January 12.

The collector instructed the tourism department to arrange two speed boats and two jet speed boats and to set up a jetty for smooth movement. He also directed officials to provide parking facilities, mobile toilets, and medical camps for the convenience of visitors. He said an audio song should be prepared on the uniqueness of Atreyapuram and Vadapalli villages and promoted on social media. He said that 100 women have registered for the Rangoli competitions so far.

Kothapeta RDO P Srikar, District Tourism Officer Anwar, DSP Murali Mohan, MPDO Venkata Raman, Fisheries AD Vardhan, Irrigation official Gopi Murthy and others attended the meeting.