TS seeks national status for tribal festival

The Telangana government is trying its best to seek the national festival status for the popular Sammakka Saralamma Jatara, a biennial four-day tribal festival celebrated in Medaram, a village in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district. This year, the festival will be held from January 31 to February 3.

Endowment minister Indrakaran Reddy will meet Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram, along with state MPs, in New Delhi on January 2 in this connection.

Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari chaired a review meeting on arrangements for the festival with Cabinet colleagues, including endowments minister Indrakaran Reddy, tourism minister Chandu Lal, and other higher officials on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters later, Mr Srihari said that CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao had allocated `80 crore for the tribal festival celebrations this year. He said all necessary arrangements would be completed by January 15, adding that directions had been given to the authorities to spruce up bathing ghats and ensure proper water supply, roads with sign boards, parking facilities, a police control room with CCTVs installed at various locations, special services by RTC etc.

The Deputy CM said the three ministers would hold another round of review meeting on Jatara preparations at Medaram on January 18.