Celebrate the famous Devaragattu Banni (stick fight) festivities on the occasion of Dasara festival without giving scope for bleeding injuries, District Collector Ch. Vijayamohan told villagers of Kothapet, Neraniki and Neraniki Thanda in Holagunda mandal in Kurnool district on Tuesday.
Addressing an awareness programme on Banni festivities near Devaragattu temple , he advised people of 14 villages to happily celebrate the festival peacefully. He told Kothapet villagers to educate their brethren in adjoining villages not to resort to stick fight and cause bleeding injuries and take responsibility for conducting the festival peacefully.
The Collector warned of stern action against excise officials if doctors confirmed that people consumed liquor and sustained injuries in Banni festival. Checkposts would be put up and pits in the forests would be filled, besides arranging parking facilities for people thronging Devaragattu for the festival.
Mr. Vijayamohan told officials to arrange drinking water, adequate lighting, three ambulances and health camps. Two borewells with 7.5 hp motors, tankers and water satchets must be kept ready, he told Rural Water Supply Superintending Engineer Haribabu. Fire officials must keep extinguishers ready for controlling torch fires, he told Fire Officer Bhupal Reddy. He told excise officials to regulate sale of liquor and told other officials to stop stick fights.
Superintendent of Police A. Ravikrishna said arrack sales would be banned from October 6 to 14, during Navarathri festivities. Bind over cases would be booked on drunken persons, he warned.
The Collector assured to improve cement roads and drains with an outlay of Rs.1.20 crore in the villages if Banni festivities were conducted without any untoward incidents. He told Roads and Buildings SE Srinivasa Reddy to take up jungle clearance and put gravel on the six-km road. He told engineers to complete the Veerasapuram drinking water scheme.
Transco SE Bhargava Ramudu, DMHO Swarajyalakshmi, Alur DSP Srinivas and sarpanches of Neraniki, Neraniki thanda and Kothapet participated.
Promises to improve roads and drains if festivities are conducted without any violence
