Mulugu: Focus on plastic free jatara

Medaram (Mulugu): In a bid to make Sammakka Saralamma jatara plastic free, the district administration has taken several measures, the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Eturunagaram, Project Officer V Chakradhara Rao has said. "We have deployed teams at 10 places including bus alighting and boarding points to seize plastic carry bags from the devotees. The RTC staff was also instructed to discourage passengers from carrying plastic bags," Rao said.

He said that the district administration has made arrangements for the distribution of 35,000 cloth bags sponsored by Vijaya Diary and 10,000 cloth bags free of cost by Nandyala Pipes besides other NGOs.

He said that 50 women volunteers from Jeevanadhi NGO would be on duty at Jampanna vagu (stream) and other places to pick up and dump plastic material into dust bins. As part of its drive to esnsure plastic free jatara, the ITDA has earmarked space for shops that sell jute bags all over the Medaram village free of rent, he added.

Referring to the arrangements, he said that facilities such as accommodation and food courts have been improved compared to 2018 jatara. Rao said that the administration is setting up five sheds that each can accommodate 1,000 devotees.

The district administration has set up 342 bathing ghats each containing a battery of 20 taps at Jampanna vagu, he said. As many as 538 battery of pipes each containing 20 taps for drinking water were also set up, he added. He said that 8,400 toilets were constructed spread over two kilometers radius around the altar.

The authorities installed 129 four arm solar lights and 100 single arm solar lights that cover 25 kilometers in Medaram on a permanent basis with an estimate of Rs 2 crore, Rao said. He said that renovation work of tribal museum was also completed. The museum would be thrown open for public soon, he added.