Hyderabad, January 15: With the thin presence of public on the roads, the twin cities wore a deserted look on Friday with lakhs of people left for their native places to celebrate Sankrathi festival.
With Sankranthi festival holidays falling on Friday and Saturday and general holiday on Sunday, the people of Seemandhra region working in government offices in the city left for their native villages to enjoy the rural atmosphere and celebrate the festival with their near and dear. The Sankrathi festival is a major festival in Seemandhra and the people of that region celebrate it on a grand scale for three days.
The overcrowded trains and buses revealed that some eight to nine lakh people in trains and some five lakh people left the city for their native homes for the Sankranthi festival. Apart from the regular rush, the buses transported at least 50,000 passengers per day in the last couple of days on account of the festival. Apart from 200 regular trains, the South Central Railway has pressed into service 51 additional trains to various parts of the State to clear the festival rush.
The city buses, including ordinary ones, were making trips on their routes with thin passengers. All the roads in the city, including main thoroughfares which often witness exasperating traffic jam, also wore deserted look with a few vehicles plying on the roads.
Surprisingly, there was negligible demand for kites in the twin cities. Sanktanhi is also known as ‘kite festival’ in urban areas with children and youth spend the whole day in enjoying kite flying.
The Pongal and Sankranthi festivals were being celebrated at Shilpakalavedia at Madhapur in the settings of rural atmosphere. The traditional “Basavannalu” (colourfully decorated bulls), “Haridasus” and cultural activities filled the festive atmosphere at Shilpakalavedika.
NSS