Tight security arrangements for Bonalu festival

Hyderabad: City Police Commissioner Kothakotta Srinivas Reddy on Friday said that tight security arrangements will be made for the Bonalu festival starting from Sunday. The Police Commissioner held a coordination meeting with officials of all departments in view of the festival starting from Golconda. Hyderabad Collector Anudeep Durishetty, Additional CP (Traffic) P Vishwa Prasad, officials from Transco, R&B, Archaeology, Health and other departments were present in the meeting. The Commissioner said that this year women from remote villages are likely to join the festival, so all arrangements are being made accordingly. According to the GO, the City Police Commissioner and District Collector and other officials of various departments have inspected the arrangements at the Golconda Fort and surrounding areas. The Municipal Department has asked them to appoint adequate staff to remove the garbage that accumulates there during Bonalu to prevent infection in view of the rainy season. Reddy said that there will be more pickpockets and chain-snatchers; special surveillance teams are being formed against such people. The police are installing CCTV cameras. He said, “We are forming special SHE teams to prevent molesters.” RTC buses have been asked to park only at the places indicated by the police. He said that arrangements will be made in coordination with officials of all departments to avoid any inconvenience to the devotees during Golconda Bonalu; all measures are being taken to prevent any untoward incident. D Udaya Kumar Reddy DCP, South West Zone, Mohammed Ashwak, Additional DCP, Syed Faiyaz, ACP Golconda, Dhan Lakshmi, ACP Traffic, members of Shanti Samiti and Maithri Samiti and Jagadambika Ammavari Samiti were present.