Minister directs officials to ensure hassle-free darshan for devotees at Chamundi Hills
In the wake of public criticism that arrangements were not made properly on the Chamundi Hills for devotees during the first Friday of the 'Ashada' month on June 27, Minister for Social Welfare H.C. Mahadevappa visited the hills on Sunday and apprised himself of the arrangements at Sri Chamundeshwari temple.
Officials were directed to pay adequate attention on crowd management and ensure that the devotees do not face any inconvenience. The temple draws lakhs of devotees during the four Fridays of the Ashada month.
Peeved by the poor arrangements, the devotees raised slogans against the authorities and the State government. Many took to social media to give vent to their anger.
Meanwhile, the BJP flayed the government for prioritising VIPs over the public. M.A. Mohan, a senior party functionary, told reporters that there are two traditions associated with Mysuru which the local people follow. 'One is Dasara celebrations and the other is darshan at the Chamundeshwari temple during the Ashada month. Though several meetings were conducted by the district administration, the end result is questionable,' he added.
Mr. Mohan said many devotees have a tradition of climbing the Chamundi Hills on foot using steps the previous night, camp in front of the temple, and have the first darshan of the deity early in the morning. But the police barred the entry of devotees by road or steps from 11 p.m. on June 26 and deprived the devout of following their religious practice, he added.
The BJP said the devotees were forced to stand in queue for over five hours to gain entry to the shrine and once inside, the darshan period lasted hardly a second or two as they were pushed out by private bouncers.
'However, the VIPs had darshan for 30 minutes as evident in their own statement made before the media,' the BJP alleged.
The district administration should make proper arrangments for a hassle-free darshan for the remaining period of the Ashada month, the BJP said.
The Chamundeshwari Vardanti celebration on July 17 is expected to draw more crowd, and hence, the district administration should take adequate measures to ensure that there were no lacunae in the arrangements.
Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy, Police Commissioner Seema Latkar, and others were present.
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