Fund crunch may hit Vasant Panchami

Atmakur (Kurnool): Funds seems to be a problem to celebrate Vasant Panchami, birthday of Goddess Saraswati, at the lone Kolanu Bharati temple in Atmakur forest division of Kurnool district on February 13. After bifurcation, Kolanu Bharati temple is the only such entity for Goddess Saraswati in Andhra Pradesh.

At a review meeting held here on Wednesday by Kurnool revenue divisional officer Raghubabu, officials expressed their helplessness to provide amenities because of the fund crunch with their respective departments.

Specifically, the officials of Extension Office of Rural Development and Rural Water Supply department threw up their hands. Provision of drinking water, shelter, construction of bathing ghats came up for discussion as over 50,000 are expected to attend the occasion.

The RDO expressed anguish at the predicament since children are likely to be initiated into education on the auspicious day. Rural water supply, mandal parishad development office, panchayat raj, roads and buildings departments could not give plan of action on providing amenities.

The RDO was told that it was difficult to lay road as Forest department’s permission is needed to lay road in the Nallamala reserve forest. Not a single work has been grounded so far, they said raising doubts over providing amenities as the event is hardly 10 days away. They wanted the District Collector to take initiative.

Executive Engineer Pratap Reddy, Chief Engineer Diwakar Reddy, MROs Rajasekhar and Nagakalyani, temple executive officer Chandrasekhar and RTC authorities took part in the meeting.