Latest news with #HarendiraPrasad
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Time of India
Simhachalam Giri Pradakshina to attract lakhs of devotees
: The port city is gearing up for the highly anticipated Simhachalam Giri Pradakshina, a spiritual walk of devotion that attracts lakhs of devotees every year. The event, which will take place on Wednesday, involves a 32 km walk around the Simhachalam hill, starting and ending at Tholipavancha, the foothill of Simhachalam. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The route passes through various locations, including Adavivaram, Central Prison, Mudasarlova, Health City, Hanumanthawaka, Venkojipalem, HB Colony, Muralinagara, Madhavadhara, NSTL, Gopalapatnam, Prahladapuram, and Gosala. The district administration and temple management are expecting around five to six lakh devotees to participate in the event, and extensive arrangements have been made to ensure their safety and convenience. Around 3,000 police personnel from various districts, including the city police commissionerate, Anakapalli, Alluri Sitarama Raju district, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam, have been deployed for security and traffic management duties. The spiritual walk is an act of pure devotion, with devotees mostly walking barefoot and chanting Lord Vishnu's name throughout the night. The district collector, Harendira Prasad, has stated that arrangements have been made for around six lakh people, including 35 medical camps and 10 ambulances. The devotees will be allowed to have a holy bath at the Appughar area, with 50 expert swimmers and a few boats stationed in the waters for safety. Following a tragic wall collapse incident during the Chandanotsavam in April this year, which resulted in the deaths of seven devotees, and a shed collapse a couple of days ago, the district administration and temple management have taken extra precautions to ensure the safety of the devotees. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Mobile toilets, drinking water facilities, medical camps, and temporary shelters have been set up along the 32 km route. The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) is focused on street lighting and sanitation to ensure the safety and hygiene of the devotees. Various voluntary organizations are involved in community service by setting up Prasadam, Annadanam stalls, water, buttermilk, and refreshments. The city police commissioner, Sankabrata Bagchi, has stated that the entire route will be under CCTV surveillance, linked to the command control centre. Devotees can rest at the holding points, and if they need any help, they can contact the police or use the Astram App. With these arrangements in place, the Simhachalam Giri Pradakshina is expected to be a successful and memorable event for the devotees.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Allegations of poor construction of Simhachalam temple wall under PRASAD scheme
Visakhapatnam: The recently built 25-foot long wall, constructed under the central government's PRASAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive) scheme, collapsed onto two parallel queue lines in Simhachalam temple, claiming seven lives and leaving one person injured. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The incident, attributed to alleged poor construction quality , prompted chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu to form a three-member committee for investigation, with initial findings due within three days. The scheme was launched by the Union Ministry of Tourism in 2014 as an initiative that aimed at transforming the cultural preservation and spiritual travelling across identified pilgrimage destinations. Under this scheme, works were taken up in Srisailam and Vijayawada's Kanakadurga temple. The works in Simhachalam are still continuing. Under this scheme, works at both foothill and uphill, pan-area development pilgrimage facilitation halls at old choutry, two floors of 500 square metre per floor each in two blocks, an entrance foyer and basic amenities building at the new ghat road entrance and others were taken up. Senior endowment officials expressed dismay upon discovering the wall's composition revealing excessive sand content and insufficient cement usage. They said that appropriate construction standards were not followed. The structure lacked proper foundational support from the ground, experts said. Standard construction practices require pillar reinforcement, which was notably absent from the contractor's work. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now District collector Harendira Prasad has ordered detailed reports from both contractor and supervising engineer regarding the wall's quality, which was reportedly constructed hastily over a few days. "Heavy rainfall and downward water flow eroded the insufficiently compacted soil foundation. The flooding destabilised the wall's supporting base," explained a senior bureaucrat. Local residents alleged that the wall's construction was completed merely three days ago, using only bricks without proper curing. The structure, measuring two and a half feet in width and 25 feet in length, allegedly lacked reinforcement from iron pillars or beams. The foundation and earthwork deteriorated, leading to the collapse after the heavy rainfall. Secretary, revenue (endowment) Vadarevu Vinaychand, stated, "construction of the wall was taken up under the PRASAD scheme which was carried out by the engineers of tourism department. The govt will take full details about the construction."
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Tragic Wall Collapse Due to Poor Construction Claims Seven Lives in Visakhapatnam
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Tired of too many ads? go ad free now VISAKHAPATNAM: A recently built 25-foot wall, constructed under the central govt's PRASAD scheme, collapsed onto two parallel queue lines, claiming seven lives and leaving one person incident, attributed to poor construction quality, prompted Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu to establish a three-member committee for investigation, with initial findings due within three Endowment Department officials expressed dismay upon discovering the wall's composition showed excessive sand content and insufficient cement usage. They concluded that appropriate construction standards were not structure lacked proper foundational support from the ground. Standard construction practices require pillar reinforcement, which was notably absent from the contractor's Collector Harendira Prasad ordered detailed reports from both the contractor and supervising engineer regarding the wall's quality, which was reportedly constructed hastily over a few days, costing between Rs. two to three lakhs. Proper construction would have necessitated gudders or concrete pillars for structural integrity.A committee will investigate the collapse circumstances. "Heavy rainfall and downward water flow eroded the insufficiently compacted soil foundation. The flooding destabilised the wall's supporting base," explained a senior residents report that the wall's construction was completed merely three days prior, using only bricks without proper curing. The structure, measuring two and a half feet in width and 25 feet in length, lacked reinforcement from iron pillars or foundation and earthwork deteriorated, leading to the collapse. Secretary Revenue (Endowment) Vadarevu Vinaychand stated, "Construction of the wall was taken up under the PRASAD scheme, which was carried out by the engineers of the Tourism Department. The govt will take full details about the construction."
Time of India
30-04-2025
- General
- Time of India
Visakhapatnam wall collapse: 7 dead as poor construction under PRASAD scheme sparks outrage
VISAKHAPATNAM: A recently built 25-foot wall, constructed under the central govt's PRASAD scheme, collapsed onto two parallel queue lines, claiming seven lives and leaving one person injured. The incident, attributed to poor construction quality, prompted Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu to establish a three-member committee for investigation, with initial findings due within three days. Senior Endowment Department officials expressed dismay upon discovering the wall's composition showed excessive sand content and insufficient cement usage. They concluded that appropriate construction standards were not followed. The structure lacked proper foundational support from the ground. Standard construction practices require pillar reinforcement, which was notably absent from the contractor's work. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo District Collector Harendira Prasad ordered detailed reports from both the contractor and supervising engineer regarding the wall's quality, which was reportedly constructed hastily over a few days, costing between Rs. two to three lakhs. Proper construction would have necessitated gudders or concrete pillars for structural integrity. A committee will investigate the collapse circumstances. "Heavy rainfall and downward water flow eroded the insufficiently compacted soil foundation. The flooding destabilised the wall's supporting base," explained a senior bureaucrat. Local residents report that the wall's construction was completed merely three days prior, using only bricks without proper curing. The structure, measuring two and a half feet in width and 25 feet in length, lacked reinforcement from iron pillars or beams. The foundation and earthwork deteriorated, leading to the collapse. Secretary Revenue (Endowment) Vadarevu Vinaychand stated, "Construction of the wall was taken up under the PRASAD scheme, which was carried out by the engineers of the Tourism Department . The govt will take full details about the construction."
