Tiruvannamalai temple to be shut, no girivalam
The Hindu
Collector appeals to devotees not to visit temple on Sept. 20, 21
The district administration has announced a ban on Girivalam in Tiruvannamalai on September 20 even as 22 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the district on Friday, taking the total number of cases to 53,876.
Devotees will not be allowed to visit the temple between 5.20 a.m on Monday and 5.51 a.m on Tuesday. This was announced by District Collector B. Murugesh on Friday.
Every full moon day, devotees and tourists from various parts of the State and from the neighbouring Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala walk 14 km to perform perambulation of the hill. Anticipating a large gathering on September 20, which is a full moon day, the district administration decided to keep the temple shut. The Collector has appealed to the devotees and the general public not to visit the temple on September 20 and 21 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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.