Deepam fest: Public want officials to focus on link roads too
On November 26, tens of lakhs of devotees are expected to descend on the temple town of Tiruvannamalai to witness the lighting of Barani Deepam inside the Arunachaleswarar temple
A newly laid road dug up for drain work near Tiruvannamalai temple
TIRUVANNAMALAI: With just three days left for the mega annual event of lighting Barani and Maha deepams, residents are peeved that officials are focusing on the removal of encroachments and creating facilities only in main areas and not on roads leading to Mada streets.
On November 26, tens of lakhs of devotees are expected to descend on the temple town of Tiruvannamalai to witness the lighting of Barani Deepam inside the Arunachaleswarar temple and the Maha Deepam atop the 2,668-ft-high Annamalai hill.
“We do not know why officials don’t plan the work in advance. A police official slipped and fell on the road adjoining the temple on the first day of the 10-day festival when tar-topping of the stretch was going on at 3 am that is an hour before the flag hoisting ceremony,” said Karunanadam, a resident.
However, official sources revealed that what kept everyone – right from PWD Minister EV Velu to officials of the 17 departments – on their toes was the anticipation of around 42 lakh devotees expected to arrive on November 26.
“The logistics involved is an easy guess by anyone as 14,000 cops and 600 fire service personnel with 26 fire tenders have been posted on duty. In the past years, only 9 temporary bus stands have been set up. But, this year, the number has been increased to 13 with facilities to park a total of 1,160 buses as 2,700 buses are expected to make a total of 6,832 trips,” an official said on anonymity.
Apart from this, 59 places have been identified to provide parking facilities to accommodate around 12,400 vehicles. Restrictions have also been imposed on those planning to climb up the Annamalai hill on Deepam Day, that too only from the Pey Gopuram. Only those between 18–60 years, who are medically fit. No one will be allowed to light camphor, burst firecrackers, or carry combustible material.
“A total of 2,500 hill climbing passes will be issued from 5 am at the Tiruvannamalai Arts College premises by the forest department on a first come– first served basis,” Collector B Murugesh said. “We are trying out our best to remove encroachment which are usually shops which move into all open spaces,” he said.
