Hyderabad: Endowments Minister Konda Surekha on Wednesday instructed officials to complete all arrangements for the decennial Ashada Masa Bonalu festival by July 5. This festival, marking its first celebration since the formation of Telangana, is to be organized in a grand manner. During a review meeting held at Haritha Plaza, the Minister assessed the progress of the works by various departments and emphasized the importance of completing all preparations by July 5 through coordinated efforts.
She announced that the government has allocated ₹20 crore for organizing the Bonalu festival as a State event. With bus services provided for women through the Mahalakshmi scheme, a larger turnout of women devotees is expected. Therefore, arrangements must be carefully planned to manage the anticipated crowds. Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar emphasized that Bonalu is integral to Hyderabad’s culture and should be celebrated grandly, in collaboration with temple authorities. He stressed the need for hygienic prasadam, quality drinking water, continuous electricity supply, and proper law and order and traffic management to ensure a seamless experience for devotees. The meeting was attended by Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi, Deputy Mayor Mote Srilata Shobhan Reddy, State DGP Ravi Gupta, Principal Secretary of the Devalaya Department Sailaja Ramayar, Hyderabad CP Srinivas Reddy, and various temple chairpersons, committee members, and others.
