Government releases 75 cr for Medaram Jatara

Mulugu: Barely three months to go for the biennial Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara, said to be Asia's biggest tribal fair, the government has given a go-ahead to the district administration to take up preparatory work on arrangements.

This comes in the wake of the State government releasing Rs 75 crore late on Monday. Although the district administration had sought Rs 120 crore for the works that include civil and non-civil, the government earmarked only Rs 75 crore like the last biennial Jatara.

As The Hans India reported, it's a repeat of sorts. Although the schedule of the Jatara was declared long ago, the government dilly dallied all these days and now it's up to the administration to catch up work before the devotees descend on Medaram, the abode of Sammakka Saralamma deities, for the four-day fiesta that starts on February 16.

With little under five months to go for the Jatara and the government is yet to earmark funds for it, the administration has a task at hand to accomplish the desired results. It's always said that works begin late and continue till the last minute for reasons well known to the government.

"Old habits die hard. Notwithstanding the criticism, the government continues to delay in giving its approval. As a result, it's not only difficult for the administration to accomplish the desired results but also hard for them to expect quality in the work.

The irony is such that despite the allocation of funds for every biennial Jatara, the administration failed to ensure permanent arrangements in Medaram," Sunkari Prashanth, the founder president of Jwala NGO told The Hans India.

On the other hand, the government is yet to appoint a Project Officer (PO) to the Eturnagaram ITDA since the transfer of Hanumant Kondiba Zendage on August 10 this year. As of now, the ITDA is under the in-charge of Mulugu District Collector S Krishna Aditya. The absence of a PO is likely to have its impact on work progress as the government had released funds under the head of the Tribal Welfare Department.

Major allocation of funds (department-wise): Roads & Buildings Rs 13 crore; Panchayat Raj Rs 4 crore; Irrigation Rs 6 crore; Tribal Welfare Engineering Rs 4.5 crore; Rural Water Supply & Sanitation Rs 13.50 crore; Police Rs 11 core; NPDCL Rs 4 crore; TSRTC Rs 2.50 crore, Revenue Rs 4.40 crore; District Panchayat Officer Rs 4 crore; Endowments Rs 3 crore; Medical & Health Rs 1 crore.