A jumpy ride ahead for Medaram devotees
A cloud of dust between Pasra and Narlapur, a major road leading to Medaram
Mulugu: Barely a month to go for the start of biennial Sammakka Saralamma jatara one of the largest tribal fairs on the globe that draws no less one crore devotees, the administration seems to be up against the time to ensure a smooth ride to the altars of the presiding deities. The four-day fiesta will start on February 16.
As usual, the State Government took its own time before releasing Rs 75 crore for the arrangements on November 9, 2021. Since then it's been a race against time for the authorities to complete the arrangements for the comfort of devotees. Minister for Tribal Welfare Satyavathi Rathod who recently reviewed the progress of arrangements at Medaram directed the officials to complete them by January 15, which appears very much unlikely.
With just four days to go for the deadline (January 15), the road work taken up between Pasra and Narlapur, a major road leading to Medaram, with an outlay of Rs 10 crore is very much unlikely to be ready. The locals say that the work would continue till the commencement of jatara for obvious reasons.
"Nothing new in it as it happened several times in the past. Firstly, the government delays in releasing the funds. As the jatara nears, the administration will have no time to monitor the quality of the works. The contractors in connivance with some high profile people with vested interests complete the works in the eleventh hour. In fact, the Pasra-Narlapur road was laid in 2018 with an estimated cost of Rs 22 crore. Now, the officials are re-carpeting the road with Rs 10 crore," S Laxman Rao of Narlapur said.
On the other hand, the devotees visiting Medaram have to face a cloud of dust due to the ongoing works. A couple of devotees died and at least four others sustained grievous injuries in two separate accidents on this road. The number of vehicles heading to Medaram has also increased every day with pre-jatara devotee rush. This has also become a constraint in the progress of road works.
With the vehicles coming in thousands every day, it's difficult for the authorities to ensure a hassle free ride unless the roads are in good condition, a senior official, R&B department, said.