Rottela Panduga from July 6 in Nellore
AP Wakf Board Chairman Abdul Azeez, Nellore Rural MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, his brother Kotamreddy Giridhar Reddy, Nellore Municipal Corporation (NMC) Mayor P. Sravanthi, and NMC Commissioner Y.O. Nandan recently reviewed the arrangements.
On the occasion, Nellore Rural MLA held discussions with the officials of various departments on the facilities being arranged at Bara Shaheed Dargah premises for the convenience of the devotees.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Sridhar Reddy said, 'Considering its rich culture and tradition, Rottela Panduga had been officially recognised as a 'State Festival' by Nara Chandrababu Naidu during his previous term as Chief Minister.'
He further said, 'The NMC has already started preparations for hosting the event in a grand manner. Nellore Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) was appointed as special officer. The festival committee will be formed soon and the tendering process will also commence.'
The number of devotees is increasing every year. Around 20 lakh people attended the festival last year, and we are expecting more visitors this year. We are making foolproof arrangements to ensure that they do not face any inconvenience, the MLA said.
'The estimated budget for the festival set by the committee is ₹4 crore this year. The renovation works at Bara Shaheed Dargah premises are currently underway. The main structure of entrance arches will be ready by the month-end with ₹2 crore. The funds are arranged from NMC and NUDA,' he added.
NMC Commissioner said, 'As of now, we have already spent ₹2.5 crore for the arrangements. We have taken permission of the council to go for the tendering process for lighting, sound system, toilets, barricading, and cleaning equipment.'
Though the festival will commence from July 6, the devotees will visit Bara Shaheed Dargah from July 1 onwards and it will remain crowded for the first ten days. Several NRIs are also expected to visit the famous mosque during these days.
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