CM KCR to attend Medaram Jatra on Feb 18

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will attend this year's Medaram Jatra on February 18. The authorities are trying to ensure that all Covid-19 protocols will be followed during the three-day fest which is the biggest congregation of tribals in Asia.

The authorities are making all the arrangements for the biennial Sammakka Saralamma Jatra at Medaram in Bhupalpally district starting from February 16 to 18. Arrangements for medical camps and also distributing masks to the devotees and sanitizing the premises frequently have also been made. Efforts are made to ensure that devotees don't wait for a long time for darshan.

The endowments department is making arrangements to provide shift wise darshan and also slot based darshan for the VIP pass holders. Tribal Affairs Minister Satyavathi Rathod said that in the wake of corona, devotees are already visiting the Medaram Jatra place as over three lakh devotees are seen every day. The minister said that farmers were given a compensation of Rs 6,000 per acre for taking 1,100 acres of lands for the jatra.

"The Jatra place has turned into a tourist spot with people coming in from different States. The government tried to purchase lands at the Jatra spot but could not succeed. The Centre has not provided any financial assistance to the Jatra. About 8,000 buses would be pressed into the service for the Jatra, he added.