Traffic jam witnessed between Tadwai and Medaram road on Friday afternoon.
| Photo Credit: P. Laxma Reddy
Poor traffic management and inadequate provision of drinking water or buttermilk has led to significant inconvenience for lakhs of pilgrims participating in the Medaram Samakka-Saralamma (Sarakka) Jatara in the Mulugu district.
Devotees have expressed grievance over the issuance of VVIP and VIP passes by district authorities, which has resulted in prolonged waiting times for the general public seeking darshan of the presiding deities at the Medaram tribal shrine on Friday. Despite claims by the police regarding halts of TSRTC buses for air ventilation, devotees assert that it is the failure of police personnel to ensure uninterrupted passage along the route to Hanamkonda via Tadwai and Pasra.
Devotees departing in RTC buses or private vehicles around 8:30 P.M. arrived in Hanamkonda at 2.30 A.M. the following day due to a traffic congestion spanning over 15 kilometers between Medaram and Pasra, including a stretch through the forest. Complaints arose regarding the lack of effective traffic management, with observations of limited presence of cranes and towing machines, contrary to official assertions.
Drivers lamented the unprecedented hardships, with one expressing, “I have not witnessed such poor traffic management in the past decade. We had to wait for nearly four hours in the vehicle,” The simultaneous presence of buses, cars, tractors, and lorries on the same route worsened the situation. Furthermore, irregularities in the issuance of VVIP and VIP passes to officials, politicians, and journalists have marred the event.
Devotees encountered difficulties in queue lines, lacking access to essential amenities like drinking water and buttermilk amidst sweltering weather conditions, voiced Srikanth, a devotee from Karimnagar. The biennial tribal fair is set to conclude this evening, with organisers (Koya community priests) facilitating the return of the deities into the forest, and other designated abodes.