Maha Sivaratri rush: huge police force deployed at temples, beaches in Visakhapatnam

Steps taken to prevent drowning deaths at beaches, says official

Keeping in view of rush at temples on the occasion of Maha Sivaratri, a large number of police personnel were deployed at all the temples as part of crime prevention in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.

Local beaches, including R.K Beach, Appikonda, Jodugullapalem, Rushikonda and Bheemili, were manned by huge police force, swimmers and community guards to prevent drowning deaths when people take the holy dip on Wednesday morning.

According to Additional DCP (Traffic) Ch. Adinarayana, Appikonda Beach with Sri Someswara Swamy Temple, and R.K Beach were receiving a large number of devotees from Tuesday evening, followed by Jodugullapalem and Bheemili. Many of the devotees take a holy dip in the sea as part of the festival. So, beach guards and police personnel were deployed in a large number, he said. Some important traffic junctions were also manned by the police personnel to ensure smooth traffic flow and prevent unauthorised parking.