Medaram Sammakka–Saralamma Jathara to be organised on a grand scale

Rs 250 crore allocated, CM Revanth Reddy’s special monitoring
Hyderabad, January 13:
The Medaram Sammakka–Saralamma Jathara, scheduled to be held from January 28 to 31, is expected to witness double the number of devotees compared to the previous edition, said Ministers Adluri Laxman Kumar and Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka).
Addressing a high-level review meeting at Dr B.R. Ambedkar Secretariat, the ministers directed all departments to work in close coordination to ensure smooth arrangements and avoid inconvenience to devotees.
Minister Adluri Laxman Kumar said that while around 1.5 crore devotees attended the 2024 Jathara, this time nearly three crore devotees are expected as the government has sanctioned Rs 150 crore for extensive arrangements.

He called upon officials to organise the tribal festival on a scale bigger than the Kumbh Mela and bring national recognition to Telangana.

The Telangana government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, has accorded top priority to the Jathara and is making comprehensive arrangements in infrastructure, security, transport, sanitation and medical services.

Clear direction boards, traffic regulation, special route maps and proper parking facilities are being planned. The minister instructed that there should be no discrimination between VIPs and general devotees in parking facilities.
Minister Seethakka said that the Chief Minister has sanctioned a total of Rs 251 crore — Rs 150 crore for Jathara arrangements and Rs 101 crore for the renovation of gaddelu (sacred platforms).
She asked officials to focus on sanitation, drinking water, toilets and safety measures, keeping in mind that nearly 40 lakh devotees are expected every day.
Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao said the Chief Minister is personally monitoring the arrangements. He suggested the use of drones for traffic management and the development of a special mobile app and QR code to provide information to devotees.
Mulugu District Collector Diwakar gave a PowerPoint presentation on the progress of works and said nearly three crore devotees are expected to visit Medaram this year.