Warangal: All decks are set for the Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara, popularly known as the Medaram Jatara, in Mulugu district, with the newly formed Congress government dedicating all possible resources to hold the fair prestigiously and make it a success.
For the fair, which will be held from February 21 to 24, the state government has sanctioned Rs 110 crore and is operating 6,000 RTC buses — up from `100 crore and 3,000 buses under the previous BRS regime.
The biennial event, held every two years, will not only showcase tribals’ love for forests and trees but also their determination and struggle to fight for the protection of their green habitats. The fair is conducted by a group of tribal priests at the Medaram Gadde.
Officials of government departments, under the leadership team of collector Ila Tripathy, panchayat minister-cum-local MLA D. Anasuya, have been making preparations for the past two months, as part of which a dedicated mobile app was created for devotees to navigate their way to the venue. Huge cranes have also been deployed at strategic locations to deal with emergencies on the route.
Provisions for parking around 5 lakh vehicles have been made, with 33 parking centres established on around 1,500 acres, along with temporary bus stands, queue lines, temporary shelters and as many as 5,600 temporary toilets set up.
Panchayat raj officer Venkaiah said sanitation works were taken up in the run-up to the event, with 4,000 workers deployed to ensure cleanliness and hygiene during the event.
District superintendent of police (SP) Sabarish has ensured tight security for the four-day affair, deploying 14,000 personnel on the ground and 500 CCTV cameras set up at key locations that will be monitored from a command control centre set up for the purpose.
Anticipating possible viral illnesses due to large congregations, the medical and health department has set up a 50-bed temporary hospital, 30 medical camps in Medaram and 42 camps en route to Medaram to deal with seasonal flu, gastroenteritis, and food and water-borne diseases.
In a first, the state government has also arranged 40 bike ambulances with medical kits containing 21 different types of medicines to provide medical care in situations of heavy traffic.
