Indrakaran Reddy participates in Bonalu festival in Nirmal

Allola Indrakaran Reddy said Bonalu festival, a symbol of Telangana culture, was being celebrated on a grand note

Nirmal: Forest Minister Allola Indrakaran Reddy said Bonalu festival, a symbol of Telangana culture, was being celebrated on a grand note.

Speaking at the festival celebrated on the premises of Durga Matha temple at Adarshnagar here on Sunday, the Minister said the festival had received a major boost after the State government launched the celebrations from the historic Golconda Fort. Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had also declared the festival a State festival after the formation of Telangana.

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Stating that the Sri Pochamma temple at Adelli village in Sarangapur mandal was being developed spending Rs.15 crore while Rs.15 lakh was sanctioned to Durga Matha temple, the Minister said successive governments had ignored religious structures in the State, but the BRS government was laying special focus on temples and their developments apart from sanctioning funds. Many temples underwent a makeover in the recent past, he said, adding that efforts were on to convert Nirmal town into a major tourist spot in Telangana.

He earlier unveiled a bronze statue of Chatrapati Shivaji at Gajulapet in the town. The statue was installed at a cost of Rs.50 lakh.

Stating that the the BJP was politicizing Shivaji for gaining political mileage, Indrakaran Reddy said Shivaji was a secular person. It was unfair to drag him into politics, he said.