The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation has strengthened Vijayawada Dasara arrangements by preparing uninterrupted drinking water, sanitation and other essential facilities for devotees attending the Dasara Sarannavaratri festivities in the city.
The festivities began on Sunday, and VMC commissioner H.M. Dhyanachandra inspected Canal Road, Tollgate and Head Water Works areas to review preparations and direct officials to prevent inconvenience to visitors. The civic body’s measures are focused on the public facilities required around crowded approach roads, queue lines and key service points.
Special arrangements have been made to maintain continuous water supply following a request from the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamyvarla Devasthanam management. Dedicated water stock points have been established at important locations, particularly near areas where devotees are expected to wait in long queues.
Officials have been instructed to distribute drinking water proactively and replenish the stocks before they are exhausted. The directions place responsibility on field teams to monitor supplies continuously rather than wait for shortages to be reported by people in the queues.
The commissioner also directed civic staff to clear waste regularly along roads, queue lines and water distribution points. Temporary toilets are to be cleaned frequently and maintained properly during the festivities. These services are among the core municipal requirements during major religious gatherings, when concentrated crowds increase pressure on public sanitation and water infrastructure.
Dhyanachandra further stressed continuous supervision of free baggage and footwear storage facilities. These facilities are intended to support the movement of devotees and reduce inconvenience around busy access points, although the report did not specify their number or operating capacity.
The inspection covered areas linked to the city’s water and visitor-management arrangements. It also brought together senior engineering officials, including chief engineer P. Satyakumari and superintending engineer (works) Chandrasekhar, along with other VMC staff.
The arrangements show how a citywide religious event requires coordination between the municipal corporation and the temple administration. While the temple management requested special attention to water supply, the VMC is handling a wider set of services, including drinking water distribution, waste clearance, temporary toilet maintenance and supervision of storage facilities.
The civic body’s immediate operational priority is to keep water stocks replenished, maintain cleanliness along movement and waiting areas, and ensure that temporary public facilities remain usable as the Dasara celebrations continue.
