Fete works keep officials on toes; busy schedule takes toll on health

Vijayawada: With Krishna Pushkarams round the corner, all the government officials, including those of the IAS ranks, in Krishna and Guntur districts are engrossed in attending meetings, supervising and inspecting works, in addition to their regular duties.

The hectic schedule is even taking a toll on the health of a few of the officials. Not getting time for sufficient sleep, some officials are found taking nap while moving in vehicles from one office to the other or from the work site to the office.

A driver of a vehicle allotted to an IAS officer said his boss has been hopping from one office to the other or to the work site frequently in the last few days.

The officials are busy taking part in a slew of meetings and inspections from dawn to dusk. There is so much of work pressure that some officials have been working for even 18 hours a day for the last three months.

For the last few days, district collector A. Babu has been attending 25-30 meetings daily. Similarly, joint collector Gandham Chandrudu and sub-collector Srujana have also been busy with review meetings.

From planning to execution, the officials have been taking care of every minute detail of the Pushkaram works. As officials are busy with the Pushkaram works, their regular works and redressal of public grievances has taken a back seat.

In addition to this, a few of the officials, belonging to the municipal and revenue departments, are even looking into the capital construction works and are also involved in conducting surveys of road expansion and alignment works in the capital region. The immense work pressure is even taking a toll on the health of a few.

Only Tallyapalem ghat readied before deadline
Only the Tallyapalem ghat in the capital region has been readied for the ensuing Krishna Pushkarams, much before the deadline. The ghat, built in 1-km radius, is the first to get readied for the river fete. Now, beautification works have been taken up.

The works of this ghat were taken up in the last week of May and were completed within 45 days. It is expected that the Tallyapalem ghat would receive around 50,000-80,000 pilgrims per day.

As this is very nearer to the Capital Foundation area and also near to Velagapudi, where the temporary Secretariat is coming up, many visitors are expected to visit the ghat.

All the other ghats being constructed in the capital region are yet to be completed  and it is doutbful if they would be completed before the deadline as Pushkarams are just 20 days away.

Only 50 per cent works have been completed at the Punnami ghat, Pushkar ghat, Durga ghat and Siva Kshetram ghats. The works of these ghats were taken up two months ago, said Radha Krishna,  special officer of Krishna Pushkaralu, who is inspecting the ghats daily.