The Temple Town of Tiruvannamalai is gearing up for the Chitra Pournami festival on May 4-5, and 13 temporary bus terminus have been set up to operate 1,958 special buses for the festival.
Accompanied by Tiruvannamalai SP K. Karthikeyan, Collector B. Murugesh inspected Rajagopuram and surrounding areas at Arunachaleswarar temple and the 14-km-Girivalam path on Wednesday for the festival, which is expected to attract more than 15 lakh visitors for the two-day event. The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), Vellore division, will operate 200 special buses from Vellore, Tirupattur, Arcot, Sholighur, Chennai, Tambaram and Bengaluru to Tiruvannamalai for the festival.
“Apart from 27 trains that come to Tiruvannamalai, eight special trains will also be operated for the festival. Over 100 free shuttle services, mostly school buses, will be operated within the town to help visitors to travel easily,” Collector B. Murugesh said.
Basic amenities including 192 water taps, 42 ROs, 83 toilets, 1,218 streetlights and 33 high mast lamps with 445 dust bins, are made available in the town, especially around Arunchalaeswarar temple and the Girivalam path. To ensure cleanliness of the town during the festival, 1,620 sanitary workers have been roped in.
Police have identified 18 sensitive spots in the town where 486 CCTV cameras, including 197 on Girivalam path and 165 inside the temple premises, have been installed to ensure safety of visitors. Police have also set up 42 watch towers at intersections, busy stretches, entry and exit routes of the town and Girivalam path with 27 help desks to help visitors including foreign tourists.
Autorickshaw charges
The district administration has also fixed auto rickshaw rates during the festival. Auto rickshaw charges up to a distance of 2.5 km per person are fixed at ₹30, and ₹50 for beyond. Fixed rate stickers are also pasted in 950 auto rickshaws and banners are also installed at public places to help travellers aware of auto rickshaw rates during the festival.
04175-232266 helpline is also introduced to report any violation.
The town will also have 85 health desks, 15 ambulances including five bike ambulances during the festival. A total of 15 vehicles and 185 fire fighters will also be pressed into service. As the temple is surrounded by thick reserve forests, 50 forest officials will monitor any trespass into forest areas during the festival.
