Mysuru: Urban development minister and district minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Wednesday instructed officers to make arrangements for devotees to get proper darshan of Goddess Chamundeswari during the Hindu month of Ashadha.Chairing a preparatory meeting regarding the same at the Dasoha Bhavan on Chamundi Hill, the minister emphasised that the safety of devotees visiting the shrine must be given priority, and warned officials to take precautions to prevent any stampede-like situationsAshadha starts from July 15. Thousands of devotees visit Chamundi Hills on Fridays during this auspicious month, and crowd management becomes a huge challenge for the authorities. The grand celebrations on the first Friday of Ashadha will be held on July 17, followed by July 24, July 31 and Aug 7. The shrine will also be flooded with devotees on Chamundeshwari Vardhanthi, which falls on Aug 4.Darshan atop the hill starts from 5.30am during the Ashadha Fridays, and on the Vardhanthi day, the temple doors open for darshan at 8 am.The minister said plastic should be banned at Chamundi Hills, to maintain cleanliness in the premesis. Locals living atop the hills should be allowed entry after verifying their Aadhaar cards, so they are not inconvenienced. Doctors and essential staff must be available round the clock at the clinic atop the hill. Three ambulances should be stationed near the temple. CESC must provide parking arrangements and ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to the hill.The city corporation should deploy adequate number of civic workers. Mobile toilets must be arranged both at the parking area and on the hill. Six battery-operated vehicles should be provided for the devotees and VIPs. Sufficient number of CCTV cameras must be installed. Private vehicles will not be allowed to enter the hill.Officers have been directed to ensure the safety of devotees climbing the hill on foot.To manage the expected surge of devotees during Ashadha Fridays, the state govt has introduced a new special darshan only on Ashadha Fridays, at a cost of Rs 2,000 per ticket. Tickets will be available at special counters and an exclusive mobile application, announced Yathindra.The govt has decided to do away with the Rs 300 ticket as the wait time for this queue was too long. Special darshan devotees must park vehicles at a designated points — Lalitha Mahal Grounds — before boarding a Volvo for the darshan. They would be provided with kits and have separate entry points.Four-hour reserved time for VIP devoteesThis apart, for the first time, state govt has reserved a four-hour time from 5.30 am to 9.30 am, for VIP visitors, on Ashadha Fridays, to prevent ensure devotees standing in the queue are not inconvenienced. Due to frequent movement of VIPs, devotees would be left standing in the queue for long hours. Hence a specific time frame has been fixed, the minister informed.Free KSRTC bus services will be operating from Lalitha Mahal Grounds on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during Ashadha to facilitate the darshan. The minister said footwear depositing stands will be made available at the Lalitha Mahal as well as the city bus stand for the devotees coming from the city bus stand.Yathindra also said it would be challenging to provide a separate queue or timing only for women devotees during Ashadha Friday due to heavy crowd round the day. However, the govt would take a final call on this, considering the situation.
