Tirupati: Congress urges govt to release `5 cr funds for Gangamma Jathara

Tirupati : Congress senior leader P Naveen Kumar Reddy urged the government to sanction Rs 5 crore funds to Tataiahgunta Gangamma temple for the conduct of Jathara, a spiritual carnival to be held in May second week.

Welcoming the government orders to celebrate the week-long jathara as a state festival, he said that the government should also ensure that the temple has adequate funds for providing facilities to the devotees participating in the annual folk goddess festival. He stated the Jathara would attract thousands of devotees not only from the district but also from various other districts and neighbouring Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states and the government has to make hassle-free arrangements for devotees.

The government funds would help the temple management for the decoration including illumination of the shrine, installation of welcome arches in the city roads leading to the temple, free food (Annadanam), drinking water and buttermilk to the devotees, he said and sought the municipal corporation officials to complete the Gangamma temple road works before the commencement of Jathara.