Preparations afoot for ‘Krishna Pushkaram’ in Telangana commencing Friday

Hyderabad: Telangana government is making elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of Krishna Pushkaram festival beginning August 12 during which pilgrims would take holy dip in Krishna river.

According to an official release, as many as 52 ghats - 10 major, 15 minor and 27 local ghats- were set up in Mahabubnagar district alone as devotees are expected mostly from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Hyderabad and bordering districts of Telangana for the holy dip. The festival will be held till August 23. Around 6,720 police personnel will be deployed - 3,920 are from other districts and 2,800 from Mahabubnagar. Also, 375 CCTV cameras are installed at 25 ghats and major highway junctions with main control room at Beechupally and DPO Mahabubnagar and sub-control rooms at each ghat, it said.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is expected to take the holy dip at Gondimalla ghat and visit Jogulambda temple in Alampur on Friday morning.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is expected to take the holy dip at Gondimalla ghat and visit Jogulambda temple in Alampur on Friday morning, it said. The district police has also created a Facebook Page -- Mahabubnagar Police-Krishna Pushkaralu-2016 -- to disseminate crucial information about the ghats, routes, traffic advisories, emergency contact information, etc.

This is also being used as a citizen-interface to receive suggestions and to give instructions to pilgrims about Do’s and Don’ts during the Pushkar, the release further said. A senior police official said as many as 7,000 security personnel will be deployed in Nalgonda district where 28 ghats have been set up for the pilgrims.

Besides the district police, personnel from neighbouring Khammam, Warangal and Cyberabad are also pressed into service, he said. Telangana State Road Transport Corporation will be plying special buses to various ghats in Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda districts.