Work for Kannagi temple festival begins

Madurai: Theni district collector Ranjith Singh and Idukki collector Dineshan Cheruvad chaired a coordination meeting in Thekkady on Friday to discuss the preparations for the Mangala Devi Kannagi temple festival in Theni district on May 1.Thousands of devotees from Tamil Nadu and Kerala are expected to take part in the annual Chithirai full moon (Chitra pournami) festival. Officials discussed measures to provide transportation, sanitation, drinking water facilities, temporary shelters and the maintenance of pathways for devotees travelling from Kumily to the temple. Officials from various departments including health and fire services also discussed safety measures for devotees visiting the temple.Checkpoints are to be established to prevent devotees from bringing prohibited plastic items. Awareness banners will be placed in appropriate locations to avoid the use of flammable materials in the forest area. Adequate police personnel will be deployed on a rotational basis. Vehicles heading to the temple must get stability certificates. Additional medical camps and security measures will be set up for devotees arriving via Paliyankudi. Officials emphasised that devotees should fully cooperate with officials. Idukki district superintendent of police Shabu Mathew, sub-collector Anup Garg and other officials were present at the meeting.