Visakhapatnam gears up for ‘Giri Pradakshina’

The district officials are gearing up for the annual ‘Giri Pradakshina’ festival of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy of Simhachalam scheduled for July 9.

The event is expected to draw a massive turnout of around three to four lakh devotees, who will undertake the 32-kilometre pilgrimage on foot. The authorities, who had organised the International Yoga Day (June 21) after a month of tireless efforts and seamless coordination, are once again gearing up to ensure a smooth conduct of the event.

District officials, city police, and Simhachalam Devasthanam representatives had organised few meetings several weeks ago to plan the logistics. Given the recent wall collapse at the Devasthanam during the ‘Chandanotsavam’, officials have decided to take additional care on the safety measures for this event.

While monitoring traffic, crowd management and crime prevention will be overseen by the city police, providing essential services such as drinking water, street lighting, and bio-toilets for the devotees is the responsibility of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC).

“A few public representatives had expressed dissatisfaction over last year’s arrangements during a council meeting,” a senior GVMC official stated. Areas like night-time worker deployment and better street illumination were flagged for improvement. So yes, the pressure is definitely on, he added.

Road conditions, including lighting, drainage, potholes, and other infrastructure, for the 32-km route, spanning Tholi Pavancha, Adavivaram, Mudasarlova, Hanumanthawaka, Appughar Beach, MVP Colony, HB Colony, Seethammadhara, Narasimha Nagar, Port Quarters Road, Madhavadhara, and NAD, needs to be evaluated and addressed before the festival.

More than 1,500 police personnel, over 2,000 sanitation workers, and around 1,000 medical staff will be deployed for the event. Additionally, 20 to 30 trained swimmers will be on standby. Coordination among the fire department, RTC, EPDCL, and other agencies is also crucial to ensure the event’s success.