Safety, crowd management in focus for Ashada Fridays at Chamundi Hills

With lakhs of devotees expected to throng Chamundi Hills during the Ashada Fridays, Minister for Urban Development and Mysuru district in-charge Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Wednesday directed officials to ensure smooth darshan arrangements and comprehensive safety measures, with a special focus on crowd management and preventing stampede-like situations.

Presiding over a preparatory meeting at the Dasoha Bhavan atop Chamundi Hills, the Minister stressed that devotees’ safety should be the foremost priority and instructed all departments to ensure that pilgrims do not face any inconvenience during the annual festivities.

The Ashada Friday celebrations will be held on July 17, 24, 31 and August 7, while Chamundeshwari Jayanti, marking the birth anniversary of Goddess Chamundeshwari, will be observed on August 4.

The Minister directed the Police to make elaborate security arrangements and deploy adequate personnel to regulate the expected heavy footfall. On Ashada Fridays, the temple will remain open for devotees from 5.30 a.m. until the close of darshan, while on Chamundeshwari Jayanti, public darshan will begin at 8 a.m. VIP darshan has been scheduled from 5.30 a.m. to 9.30 a.m.

The authorities have been instructed to enforce a complete ban on plastic on Chamundi Hills, install additional dustbins, intensify sanitation measures, ensure uninterrupted power supply, deploy doctors and medical staff round the clock at the Namma Clinic, and station three ambulances near the temple.

Entry to the hill for local residents will be regulated through Aadhaar card verification to prevent inconvenience to those residing on the hill.

The Mysuru City Corporation has been asked to deploy additional pourakarmikas, provide mobile toilets at parking areas and on the hill, arrange six battery-operated vehicles for the convenience of elderly and differently-abled devotees, and install additional CCTV cameras. Private vehicles will not be allowed to ascend Chamundi Hills during the festival.

Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy said the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will operate free shuttle bus services from the foothills to Chamundi Hills on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the festival period, as in previous years.

Separate footwear deposit counters will be set up at the bus parking area for devotees using the shuttle buses and at the City Bus Stand for those travelling by city buses.

Mysuru City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer S. Yukesh Kumar, Mysuru City Corporation Commissioner Shaikh Tanveer Asif, Chamundi Hill Development Authority Secretary Roopa, and officials from various departments attended the meeting.