80 Lakh Offered Prayers At Medaram: Minister

Telangana Revenue, Housing and Information & Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy today said that the influx of devotees at the Medaram Sammakka-Saralamma Maha Jathara had increased unprecedentedly.

Speaking to the media at Medaram, the minister said that around 80 lakh devotees had visited the jathara so far, and that officials estimated that the number could exceed one crore by the time Sammakka arrived at her altar. He said that devotees were arriving from Telangana as well as neighbouring States Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.

The minister added that the government was continuously monitoring all arrangements to ensure that the devotees did not face any inconvenience.

Reddy said that 29 acres of land had already been acquired for the permanent development of the Medaram Jathara, and that the process of acquiring another 41 acres was underway. He said that permanent infrastructure facilities would be developed over the 70 acres, and that a comprehensive master plan for the Medaram region had already been prepared. As part of this plan, internal roads would be developed, eco-parks established and tourism facilities expanded, he said.

The minister added that to further enhance the significance of the jathara, the government had initiated the construction of a temple circuit from Basara to Bhadrachalam at an estimated cost of Rs 2,500 crore.

He also announced that the Medaram temple would be included in the development of prominent temples in the Godavari river basin.

Also speaking on the occasion, Panchayat Raj Minister Seethakka said that in the past devotees faced difficulties due to narrow roads, but this time travel had become much easier with the construction of four-lane roads.