MULUGU: The Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara, one of Asia’s biggest tribal festivals, is set to commence in around 45 days. While the tribal festival — also known as Medaram Jatara — is eagerly awaited, excessive usage of plastics has been a major concern. The government has now decided to undertake precautionary measures towards conducting a plastic-free Jatara.
During the Jatara, an area of over 25 kilometres in the village of Medaram is occupied by the devotees, making it difficult for sanitation workers to get rid of plastic in the temple surroundings. The devotees start to visit the village around two months before the festival and stay there with their families for a day or two to pay respects to the deities. Most of them carry plastic covers and bags and many throw them on the roads or leave them at the place where they stay during the Jatara.
Before the separation of the districts, the erstwhile Warangal administration undertook certain measures, but still failed to control the usage of plastics. After the inception of Telangana, the area came under the control of the Mulugu district administration and there was not sufficient staff for monitoring the ban on plastics.
This time, Mulugu District Collector Ila Tripathi said the government is taking measures to reduce plastic use. Speaking to TNIE, she said that the administration is taking steps to bring down the use of plastics instead of imposing a ban on its usage entirely. They would now allow plastic bags upto 20 micron.
A team including three professors from Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI) visited the households in the village and suggested that the people use alternative materials like jute, cloth, and paper bags, instead of plastic, to convince the Jatara devotees.