Nod for procession of Attukal deity
The Hindu
Local holiday for educational institutions today
District Collector Navjot Khosa, who is also the chairperson of the District Disaster Management Authority, has issued orders giving permission for ‘purathuezhunnallippu’ of the deity of the Attukal temple as part of COVID-19 relaxations in connection with the ongoing Pongala festival.
As per the order, ‘ezhunnallippu’ on an elephant can be conducted as per the permission of the Assistant Forest Conservator and complying with all directions. Only 25 persons, including ‘pujaris,’ will be allowed to take part. Those who take part in the procession should have taken RT-PCR test in past 72 hours and tested negative or been COVID-positive in the past three months.
Only official vehicles will be allowed to accompany the procession. Vehicles of the public or microphones will not be allowed. Pujas, other offerings, sale of food, or offering of flowers along the route will not be allowed.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.