Darshan of the presiding deity at the Kanaka Durga temple atop Indrakeeladri to the common man went for a toss on Sunday, with officials on duty apparently failing to control the VIP darshan.
The queue lines were crowded with devotees from dawn itself, but the darshan was glaringly mismanaged with devotees having to wait for hours on end. A child reportedly suffered fits while standing in the queue and was rushed to a hospital.
Though the police had virtually taken control of Indrakeeladri and top officers were overseeing the queue movement, the common devotees, standing in queues from Vinayaka temple onwards, had to face many hardships.
Police and other government employees on duty were seen ensuring direct entry into the temple for their acquaintances and family members. Staff on duty atop Indrakeeladri bringing tens of devotees for a ‘quick darshan’ was a common sight. In some cases, 20-30 devotees were taken for darshan via VIP gates.
Top officials supervising the queue movement near the sanctum sanctorum apparently did not prevent bypassing of queue lines by the police and other government employees.
Temple staff posted near aaseervachana mandapam, too, could not control the situation. Some employees, requesting anonymity, said they had no power or authority over darshans and queue lines during Dasara.
The district administration stepped in only after devotees started voicing protest. Subsequently, the IAS officers posted near the Om turning on Indrakeeladri started scrutinising the passes, thus controlling recommendations, VIP darshans and bypassing of queue lines.
Devotee footfall on Sunday was estimated to be around 1.20 lakh, according to temple officials. The presiding deity was adorned as Durga Devi on Sunday.
