WARANGAL: With more devotees visiting the Medaram Sammakka-Sarakka jatara, there is a need to appoint a regular endowments officer and recruit more staff. Though the official jatara is organised in February every two years, even on normal days, the devotees are thronging the sacred Gaddelu (platforms) of Sammakka-Sarakka in the Eturungaram forest area, and that place has almost turned into a temple.
In another instance, though the jatara is scheduled for four days from February 17 to 20, devotees have started pouring in since November last year and the inflow is expected for one or two days even after the conclusion of the jatara.
“One senior assistant, one junior assistant, one record assistant and five attenders are now working at the temple. As there is a no regular executive officer, I have been asked to look after the temple,” said deputy commissioner of endowments and in-charge EO T Ramesh. He also said he had to additionally oversee the departments in Karimanagar, Khammam and Warangal districts as a zonal officer. In view of this, there is a need for appointing a regular EO and increase the office staff.
The endowments department earns revenue of around Rs 10 crore during the jatara season at Medaram shrine and one fourth of it goes to distribution among the ‘vaddees’ (tribal priests).
Cops Conduct Medical camp
Warangal: The Warangal rural police on Sunday conducted a free medical camp at Medaram village for the benefit of poor tribals. A team of doctors led by Dr Rajashekar of Innova hospitals, Hyderabad, has examined the patients by conducting necessary tests and distributed medicines at free of cost. Speaking on the occasion, rural Superintendent of Police Ambar Kishor Jha said the police department was ever ready to lend a helping hand to the tribals, and added that they were striving to illuminate the lives of the tribals with the help of the voluntary organisations. Scores of locals have attended the medical camp. Mulug ASP Vishwajit Kampati, CRPF Assistant Commandant Aswini Kumar, Eturunagaram and Mulug CIs Kishore Kumar and Srinivasa Rao, Prof Latha, Prof Kamaleshwar, former JC Veeramallu, Medaram Sarpanch Shantha and others were also present. ens