Civic body gears up for Saddula Bathukamma

Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has made elaborate arrangements for Saddula Bathukamma on Wednesday, where 10,000 women are expected to carry the flower-bedecked deity on their heads in a procession up to Hussainsagar for immersion.  The festival focuses on promotion and empowerment of women, flowers, nature, water and girl child which would promote the well-being of people in villages and towns.

The GHMC has installed about 544 hoardings at all major junctions, bus shelters, foot over bridges and arches. The corporation has already decked up all major junctions in the city with Bathukammas.

As a part of the special arrangements, the GHMC has formed 11 Bathukamma Action Teams (BATs) which includes about 95 sanitary field assistants (SFAs) and about 1,100 sanitation workers. It has arranged as many as 23,413 temporary streetlights at a cost of Rs 80.65 lakh. The Municipal Corporation has spent about Rs 174.68 lakh to repair roads and make other arrangements at all Bathukamma ghats. It has also installed temporary public toilets for men and women separately in the GHMC limits.

Besides this, the GHMC has made a special 500 metre fresh water tank at Bathukamma ghat near Tank Bund, to prevent stench and contamination of the Hussainsagar. The GHMC has set up about 100 massive Bathukammas at all important junctions in the city. As part of the colourful celebrations, a large number of crackers will be burst for 25 minutes at Durgam Cheruvu, Safilguda Mini Tank Bund and Saroornagar lake.