MULUGU: A large number of women devotees thronged Medaram to attend the Sammakka Saralamma jatara on Thursday. Women, accompanied by their children, waited for hours at the Jampanna Vagu to take a holy dip. Devotees also formed queue lines to offer jaggery (bangaram) from 4 pm on Wednesday to 5 am on Thursday.
Devotees were seen waiting to board TSRTC buses towards Jampanna Vagu from Medaram. The area within a 2 km radius around the bus stand was entirely occupied by devotees.
To curb crimes against women during the jatara, SHE Teams and female police officers were deployed at key areas in Medaram. A command centre monitored crowd movement through CCTV cameras. On Wednesday, five chain-snatching incidents were reported to the police.
Meanwhile, TSRTC Regional Manager (Warangal) J Srilatha said that the number of female passengers was expected to rise on Thursday and Friday. She mentioned that over the last three days, 3,500 buses operated to and from Medaram.
Approximately 4 lakh devotees availed TSRTC services, and additional buses are ready to meet any increase in passenger demands. Comprehensive data regarding bus usage would be available after the Jatara ends, the regional manager added.