People should celebrate festivals voluntarily without any control: Ponnam Prabhakar

Hyderabad : Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, who is the in-charge minister for Hyderabad, held a preparatory meeting with senior officials and representatives of the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samiti ahead of the Ganesh Utsav celebrations beginning on September 14. The minister said the meeting focused on ensuring the peaceful and smooth conduct of the festivities. He said the government was making all necessary arrangements for the grand celebration of the festival. Officials and members of the Ganesh Utsav Samiti discussed several key issues, including the management of Ganesh mandals, sanitation, security arrangements and the organisation of cultural programmes. Ponnam Prabhakar urged the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samiti to distribute saplings among devotees and promote the use of handloom scarves during the celebrations. He also appealed to devotees to opt for clay Ganesha idols in order to minimise environmental damage. The minister said prayers had been offered at temples during the Bonalu celebrations seeking good rainfall. He said the government had asked the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samiti to conduct prayers at Vinayaka mandapams for good rains following the end of the El Niño conditions. The minister said the celebrations should be conducted in accordance with court directions. He appealed to people to participate in the festivities voluntarily and celebrate the festival peacefully.