T’puram: Varkala’s Papanasam Beach is gearing up to receive thousands of devotees for Karkidaka Vavu Bali on Wednesday, with devaswom board, Varkala municipality and various govt departments putting in place elaborate arrangements to manage the rush and ensure the safety of pilgrims.Devotees from different districts are expected to reach Papanasam on Tuesday evening. Arrangements have been made at the beach and near the Bali mandapam for devotees to perform pitrutarpanam.A temporary pandal with a capacity to accommodate around 600 people is being set up adjacent to the Bali mandapam. While rituals will not be conducted inside the existing Bali mandapam, the temporary facility will allow around 300 devotees to perform the rituals at a time. The wide stretch of Papanasam Beach will also be used for the rituals, allowing hundreds of devotees to perform them simultaneously.With rough sea conditions posing a safety concern, additional lifeguards will be deployed along the beach. Police, fire and rescue, excise and KSEB departments will operate round-the-clock control rooms to coordinate the arrangements and respond to emergencies.Varkala municipality is carrying out special cleaning drives in and around Papanasam and installing additional lights and temporary toilets for devotees. The civic body is also taking steps to ensure sanitation and basic amenities in areas expected to witness heavy footfall.Traffic restrictions will be introduced in Varkala to regulate vehicle movement during peak hours. Parking arrangements are being made by clearing devaswom board’s Nandavanam property.
