SOMASILA (MAHABUBNAGAR): Somasila, the last Telangana village on the northern end of Srisailam reservoir in Mahbubnagar district is unhappy the way it is pampered every 12 years.
“As Krishna Pushkarams draws near, fresh tar would be laid on the road from Kollapur to Somasila. The tar would wear out slowly and patchwork would be done,” said Shiva Ramudu, a resident of Somasila.
Also, the 2,500-strong fisherman village ironically earns less during Pushkarams than what it earns regularly. “On an average we earn `500 everyday. On better days, when the catch is good, the sales can go up to `1,500. But, during the 12-day mega event, we have to stop fishing. Some of us work as divers, while others work as unskilled labourers in the two ghats, which fetch us somewhere around `250 to 300,” said Taanisha, a fisherman.
The divers are required to serve 6-hour duty (6 am to 12 noon and 12 noon to 6 pm) on a rotational basis.
Pushkaram doesn’t open avenues for making extra money in terms of business as all the tenders for food and other supplies are bagged by bidders from Kollapur, Mahbubnagar and Hyderabad. “We only clean the ghats after Pushkarams on orders of gram panchayat,” said another resident A Venkatesh.
However, the TS government promises to change the scenario. “A sum of `100 crore has been earmarked for development of tourism circuit in Achampet and Kollapur in which Somasila will get a good chunk. This year Haritha Hotel was opened and a boat service was started. As tourism picks up, the locals can benefit from ancillary services and will lead to overall development of the area,” panchayat raj minister Jupally Krishna Rao says.