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Time of India
4 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Preparations in full swing for Vavu Bali rituals
Kochi: Extensive preparations are being made in the district for Karkidaka Vavu Bali rituals on Thursday. Considering the continuous rain, district administration is making arrangements accordingly. All preparations for bali tharpanam at Aluva Shivaratri Manappuram, Perumbavoor Chelamattam Sreekrishna Temple and banks of Periyar river in Kalady are nearing completion. A review meeting was held at Aluva PWD Rest House under the leadership of Anwar Sadath, MLA, and additional district magistrate Vinod Raj to discuss security arrangements and facilities to be set up in advance of the Vavu Bali offerings on Saturday. Facilities will be arranged at Aluva Advaita Ashram, established by Sree Narayana Guru, for bali tharpanam from early morning on Thursday. At Perumbavoor Chelamattam Sree Krishna Temple, bali tharpanam will begin at 1am and continue until noon. Special bus services have been arranged from Angamaly and Perumbavoor KSRTC depots to the temple. Police have informed that special squads have been formed to monitor anti-social elements. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If you have a mouse, you have to play this game. Navy Quest Game Undo Under the leadership of irrigation department officials, water level in the Periyar will be checked at intervals and necessary precautions will be taken. District medical officer has been instructed to deploy sufficient staff and arrange ambulance services. Services of fire rescue force will be ensured. Instructions have been given to KSEB to take steps for providing temporary electricity connections. Excise department has been instructed to ensure that there is no illegal sale of liquor or use of narcotics. Measures have been taken to ensure availability of drinking water. Food safety department will inspect quality of food items provided in local shops, hotels and other places. Supervision of arrangements related to Vavu Bali has been assigned to Fort Kochi sub-collector and Muvattupuzha RDO.


Time of India
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
When lungi-clad Kannada actor wielded shovel to fix craters
Bengaluru: For the past week, a curious sight has been stopping commuters in their tracks near Basavanahalli Circle on Nelamangala-Doddaballapur Road: A man with a shovel, with his lungi folded, toiling alongside a few workers to fill potholes on a five-kilometre stretch. The man is none other than Kannada film actor Vinod Raj. With the civic agency showing no signs of repairing the stretch, Raj took matters into his own hands to spare fellow motorists of the daily bone-rattling ride. He purchased raw-material, hired a tractor to transport the same and supervised the pothole-filling exercise. Several surprised motorists greeted the actor with handshakes and smiles. "I incurred an expense of up to Rs 5 lakh for filling up the potholes and repairing the road. I purchased jelly stones, M-sand, and cement. The daily rent for the tractor carrying them is Rs 1,000. I'm not doing anything great. I'm just following the footsteps of my mother and actor, the late Leelavathi," he said. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru So what prompted him to undertake the work? "Accidents happen here every day. Some victims were farmers carrying their products to Nelamangala to sell. Many women, riding pillion and holding vegetables, have fallen. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Fortunately, no fatalities occurred. The recent rain worsened the situation. Even I take this road to reach my farmhouse. Therefore, we decided to repair it," he said. According to Raj, he worked on the five-km stretch for around 10 days. "Soon, the work will be over. After the rainy season, we will fill the potholes using ECOFIX—a ready-to-use pothole repair mix developed by the Central Road Research Institute," he said. Recalling the days when the road was not asphalted, Raj said he would ask his mother why she purchased the farm which had no proper roads. "A few decades back, we drove on the rock-studded road to reach the farmhouse. Thousands of commuters use this road every day, and potholes are posing a threat to them," he said.