The Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday sanctioned Rs 30 crore for the upcoming river festival of Krishna Pushkaralu.
The Times of India reported:
Describing it as a `flexi fund', the state government sanctioned the money to the endowments department. The money is likely to be spent on marketing and promotion of the Pushkarams. The endowments department was earlier granted Rs 10 crore as the `flexi fund'.
This comes after reports that despite the state facing a severe cash crunch, the TDP government has already earmarked Rs 1080 crore for the festival.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been roped in to ensure smooth progress at all bathing ghats during the festival.
The New Indian Express reported:
The service of NDRF forces was specially requisitioned by the State government in the wake of the stampede that killed 29 people on the first day of the 12-day Godavari Pushkaralu at Rajamahendravaram last year. Five teams of the NDRF 10th battalion will be deployed on special duty at four places along the Krishna river where huge crowds are expected to visit. Each team consists of 45 personnel, including officers and medical staff.
'Krishna Pushkaralu' is a festival of River Krishna which is usually held once in 12 years. The event is observed for a period of 12 days from the time of entry of Jupiter into Virgo.
This year, the festival, which attracts lakhs of devotees from all over Andhra Pradesh and other states, will be held between August 12 to 24 in Krishna, Guntur and Kurnool districts.
Three round-the-clock helpdesk numbers — 138,139 and 182 will also guide and assist people to the ghats.