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Upscale camping, chopper sorties and what not
Get ready for an off-grid vacation, combining spirituality with comfort. With the Medaram jatara, Asia’s largest tribal fair, is fast approaching, the authorities are leaving no stone unturned to lure even the high-end tourists with well-appointed luxurious tents, food courts, chopper sorties, etc. Tucked in deep forest, Medaram, the abode of Sammakka and Saralamma, was a tough destination to reac
Medaram (Bhupalpally): Get ready for an off-grid vacation, combining spirituality with comfort. With the Medaram jatara, Asia’s largest tribal fair, is fast approaching, the authorities are leaving no stone unturned to lure even the high-end tourists with well-appointed luxurious tents, food courts, chopper sorties, etc. Tucked in deep forest, Medaram, the abode of Sammakka and Saralamma, was a tough destination to reach until the RTC introduced bus services in 1966.
With the increasing footfall, especially over a decade, Medaram jatara has come a long way. From bumpy rides to highway cruise; three-stone cooking in the shade of trees to cosy hospitality; in all, the tribal fair underwent a huge metamorphosis.
To add more spice to it, the district collector A Murali, whose vision is to put Bhupalpally district on the global tourism map, has mooted an idea to introduce luxurious tents, food courts and chopper sorties to attract the pilgrims and as well as tourists.
Against this backdrop, the administration has called for tenders to set up as many as 46 tents on the premises of Haritha Hotel in Medaram on the basis of public-private partnership (PPP). The authorities already constructed base platforms to erect tents.
The 16X16 feet tents to have all the comforts that one would get at home with spruced up interiors. Out of the tariff collected, the contracting agency to get 70 per cent while the rest will go to government’s coffers. The administration will provide amenities like electricity, water and toilets free of cost. Alongside the camping, there is a plan to set up food court that will provide delicacies on par with star hotels.
Speaking to The Hans India, the district collector A Murali said: “Apart from devotee aspect, we are also looking to tap the immense tourism potential the region has. This invariably propels the tourism-dependent economy of the rural-centric Bhupalpally district.”
The construction of two helipads, around 3 km from temple, is almost complete. The administration will ferry the pilgrims from helipad to temple in special buses, besides providing a hassle-free darshan of the presiding deities.
Thiruvananthapuram-headquartered Thumby Aviation Private Limited appears to be the frontrunner to operate the helicopter services for the devotees visiting the jatara from Arts & Science College in Hanamkonda. The modalities are yet to be finalised and if all goes according to the plan, the chopper services will be available from January 15, 2018, ahead of main jatara that commences on January 31 and ends on February 3, 2018.
It may be noted here that however the chopper sorties were planned during the 2016 jatara, due to time factor it didn’t materialise. But this time around, the authorities are well and truly on course to make it possible.
By: Adepu Mahender
