Vailankanni gears up for annual church festival

: All arrangements are in place for the 11-day annual festival of famous shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Health at Vailankanni near here beginning on August 29, a top official said today.
With more than 20 lakh pilgrims expected to throng the town during the festival, measures had been put in place to provide drinking water, sanitation, lighting and transport for their convenience, Nagapattinam Collector Dr C Suresh Kumar said.
"We have taken additional precautions to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases. As pilgrims from various states would be visiting in large numbers, we have taken all steps to prevent the outbreak or spread of any type of disease," he said.

The collector also said inspections were carried out at lodges in the town for hygiene and they had been instructed to fully adhere to the guidelines prescribed by the health department.
The church administration had spruced up the buildings, which have been illuminated with multi-colour lamps.
Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) has announced operation of special buses from various places including Chennai, Madurai, Chidambaram and Puducherry in view of the festival, which attracts pilgrims across the country, especially from Goa.
Southern Railway is operating trains from Chennai, Vasco-da-gama(Goa), Ernakulam, Nagercoil, Bandra and Tirunelveli.