MULUGU: Despite extensive planning and the deployment of high-end technology, including artificial intelligence, traffic management measures failed to ease congestion on the Medaram road during the Sammakka–Saralamma Jatara. Even with around 14,000 police personnel on duty, gaps between planning and execution led to prolonged traffic snarls between the Mulugu crossroads and Medaram.
The situation remained grim even with nearly 42,000 government employees deployed for the smooth conduct of the jatara. Pilgrims bore the brunt of the failure, with a journey that usually takes three hours from Hanamkonda in Warangal district stretching to nearly 12 hours from Friday morning.
Long hours of sitting in packed TGSRTC buses and private vehicles led to heated arguments between pilgrims and police and revenue officials, triggering clashes at several points along National Highway 163 leading to Medaram. Frustration among devotees mounted as congestion worsened and movement came to a standstill for hours.
Rakesh Varma, a resident of Kazipet, said the jatara this year was vastly different from previous editions. Alleging that Panchayat Raj Minister Seethakka focused only on photo opportunities, he claimed there was no proper review of the 14-km-long traffic jam between Tadvai and Medaram. “The struggle of common pilgrims was ignored despite claims of successfully conducting Asia’s biggest tribal festival, which saw about 1.5 crore devotees,” he said.
Adding to the hardship, TGSRTC services were unavailable at the temporary Medaram bus station from Friday afternoon, causing severe inconvenience to elderly pilgrims, women and children. Passengers alleged that TGSRTC staff showed little concern when pilgrims were stranded for buses and allowed overcrowding far beyond capacity.
Buses travelling nearly 110 km from Medaram to Hanamkonda were packed to dangerous levels, forcing many to travel through the night in unsafe conditions. “Any accident could have been fatal,” said Nerella Rama Devi, a resident of Dharmasagar mandal in Hanamkonda, echoing concerns raised by several women passengers.
Meanwhile, superintendent of police Sudhir Ramnath Kekan, district collector Divakara T S and ITDA project officer Chitra Mishra were not available for comment.