Telangana State Government as promised has decided to organize the Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara, as the biggest tribal festivals in the country, on the lines of Kumbh Mela.
All the concerned officials were directed to ensure that the jatara starting on January 31 receives national and international attention. Officials should accordingly utilise the international channels and social media extensively to publicise the event which was expected to attract lakhs of people from across the country.
The government on its part would set up a folk museum and amphitheatre at Medaram for display of folk arts by over 300 artistes on daily basis. Dance forms like Dhimsa and Gussadi would form part of the festival while it would showcase tribal instruments and traditional artefacts.
In addition to the awareness campaign, the festival would feature tribal food court with display of environment-friendly green products including organic food, wild fruit and flowers besides focussing on promotion and preservation of fauna and flora as well as tribal lifestyles. The government would strive to create livelihood options for tribals as part of the Jatara which would be an opportunity for anthropologists, researchers and students to understand the lifestyle of tribes.
Work on the facilities for devotees had already been launched and the government planned to put in place 5,000 mobile toilets and dressing rooms at Medaram. Drinking water would be supplied to the visitors, for which youth organisations would be positioned on 24×7 basis.
TSRTC to operate 4,000 buses to Samakka – Sarakka Jatara
The TSRTC plans to operate over 4,000 buses transporting devotees to the famous Sammakka-Sarakka jatara at Medaram village that would be held between January 31 and February 3.
The buses would ply from January 30 to February 4. According to the offcials, the TSRTC transports about 30 lakhs devotees every year, but was targeting to serve 44 lakh people, the largest number of devotees visiting the tribal fair, this year. During the main days, TSRTC transports nearly 2.61 lakh people in a single day by operating 3,300 trips.
This year, the government has allocated ₹2.45 crores towards making arrangements for the jatara.
16 Special Trains for Medaram
Keeping in view of the extra rush of passengers for the Medaram Sammakka Saralamma Jatara, 16 special trains will be run between Secunderabad-Warangal-Hyderabad; Sirpur Kagazhnagar-Khammam-Sirpur Kagazhnagar and Kazipet-Sirpur Kagazhnagar-Kazipet.
South Central Railway has made this announcement with the objective to cater to the extra rush of passengers during the festival.
Tight Security at the Jatara
Going by past experiences of traffic jam and miseries to pilgrims travelling long distances, the district police are leaving no stone unturned to ensure a hassle-free Sammakka–Saralakka jatara this time. As part of the efforts, over 400 CCTV cameras have been installed on all major roads leading to the Medaram jatara site. Parking lots would also be monitored. A control room with multiple screens was set up at the Integrated Tribal Development Authority’s project office, where personnel would monitor the situation round the clock.
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