Medaram Jatara-2014: 10 million devotees expected

Mulugu (Warangal): One crore devotees expected to take part in the biennial Medaram Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara to be held in February-2014. With the Jatara nearing, arrangements at Medaram village have also been picking up speed and the District Collector G Kishan has visited Medaram village of Tadwai mandal in the district to review progress of works. It might be noted that about 80 lakh pilgrims had taken part in the Jatara last time.

The Collector, along with the rural superintendent of police G Pala Raju, ITDA project officer Sarfaraj Ahmed, has visited Kannepalli and Oorattam villages along with Jampannavagu. He later held a meeting with the officials of rural water supply, roads and buildings, health and medical, APSRTC, and electricity departments. He directed the roads and buildings official to take steps for widening the roads at Chintal cross roads, Kalvapalli cross roads and the stretch between Narlapur to Medaram village. He wanted the officials to speed up the ongoing bridge construction on Jampannavagu at Oorattam village.

Collector Kishan told the irrigation superintending engineer V Lingaraju to extend the length of bathing ghats at Oorattam and Chilakalagutta to 1000 metres and to take measures for setting up an additional 2000 batteries of water taps at the ghats for the devotees to take holy bath.

APSRTC regional manager Yadagiri has informed that this time it was planned to operate 3600 buses to Medaram. R and B superintending engineer Mohan Naik informed that proposals for the development of road between Narlapur to Bhupalpalli and also from the bathing ghats to Medaram village were made.

Similarly Rs 25 crores were being spent to build a road between Jangalapalli to Ramappa Temple, he added. This time the number of toilets to be built at Medaram would be increased by 1200. Last time 8800 temporary toilets were built, according the rural water supply superintendent engineer Prasad Kumar. Transco superintending engineer Mohan Rao informed that flood lights would be set up to cover a circumference of 10 km in and around Medaram village. A 50-bed hospital would be set up during the Jatara time, said district health and medical officer Dr. P Sambasiva Rao. Zilla Parishad chief executive officer Anjaneyulu, endowments deputy commissioner T Ramesh Babu, district public relations officer K Venkataramana, Mulugu RDO, S Moti Lal and DSP Muralidhar Rao were present.