Belagavi: Lakhs of devotees from Karnataka and Maharashtra are visiting the Renuka Yallamma Temple at Savadatti to take part in the annual Banada Hunnime fair. The temple witnessed heavy footfall over the past week, with Saturday expected to see the maximum rush. To facilitate smooth travel and manage crowds, NWKRTC has deployed a large fleet of special buses from various locations. Temple authorities and district officials have made arrangements to ensure safety, crowd control, and essential services for devotees during the fair period.Four days have passed since the commencement of the fair, but the number of people visiting to have darshan of Goddess Yallamma has not decreased. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation has arranged additional bus services from local and inter-district stations.Officials of NWKRTC said that on Jan 3, the Hunnime fair day of Yallammadevi, 61 additional buses operated from Belagavi to Yallammana Gudda. On the next day, 50 additional buses operated from Belagavi. On Tuesday, 15 additional buses operated from Belagavi to Yallammana Gudda. The corporation reduced the bus service, but devotees from different parts keep visiting the temple. The Hunnime Fair at Savadatti Yellamma Gudda will continue for 1 month. Free mini-bus service is being provided for those travelling from Ugaragola to the temple.The police department took steps to manage the heavy traffic on the roads leading to the hill. On day 1, over 1,000 police personnel were deployed along the route. Vehicles parked haphazardly are being towed away, ensuring fewer traffic issues when compared to previous years.The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) distributed free buttermilk to thousands of devotees. Farmers along the route to the hill provided free water from their borewells for devotees to bathe and wash their livestock.
