Fervour and gaiety mark Deepavali in Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam's Deepavali was celebrated peacefully with traditional attire, decorations, eco-friendly lamps & fewer crackers. Mayor & Collector celebrated with families. Fire Dept. received 40 calls, one medium & 39 minor cases. Beach Road saw heavy crowd, but police shooed them away. 4,317 outsourced workers kept city clean.

Deepavali was celebrated peacefully without any major fire incidents. Dressed in traditional attire, people, especially women and children, decorated their homes with flowers and earthen deepams and actively participated in the festival by lighting eco-friendly lamps to worship Goddess Lakshmi and other deities in the evening. As the festival fell on Sunday, the government declared November 13 (Monday) as a holiday as well.

While the city’s first citizen (Mayor) Hari Venkata Kumari celebrated her festival in Arilova, Visakhapatnam Collector A. Mallikarjuna celebrated the festival with his family at his bungalow on the Andhra University premises.

Speaking to The Hindu, Dr. Mallikarjuna said, “I am celebrating third Deepavali in the Port City. Fewer crackers with greater Diyaas and parental care were observed when children were handling crackers. It looked like a green festival.”

E.N.V. Naresh Kumar, Chief Medical Officer of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, said that about 40 tons of firecracker residue were collected and the waste was scientifically treated. A total of 4,317 outsourced workers were engaged for cleaning in the city. Their team managed to keep the city clean by Monday evening, he added.

Meanwhile, Visakhapatnam Regional Fire Officer Niranjan Reddy said that there were no major fire incidents in the six districts under the Visakhapatnam region of the Fire Department, including GVMC. The department received 40 calls for fire emergencies, including one medium case (damaged property between ₹2 lakh and ₹10 lakh) from Akkayayapalem in the city, while the remaining 39 calls were for minor fire accidents (damage under ₹2 lakh).

The Beach Road witnessed heavy crowd, as revellers thronged the beach to burst crackers. But the police were seen shooing them away. The police observed strict patrolling along the Beach Road stretch.