Mancherial: Work on arrangements at mini altars yet to gain momentum

Financially weak devotees not only from Mancherial town, but neighboring villages throng the altars and perform special prayers during the four day long religious affair, helping the civic body to register revenue around Rs 20 lakh

Mancherial: Even as the biennial Sammakka Saralamma jatara approaches fast, work on mini altars of the deities has not yet gained momentum, indicating apathy of officials concerned. The Mancherial municipality has been making arrangements at the temporary mini altars near Sri Gouthameshwara Swamy temple on the banks of Godavari river for the convenience of devotees from Mancherial and surrounding villages since 2004. It makes arrangements including sanitation, drinking water facilities, temporary toilets, lighting system, bathrooms, shades, etc., for smooth conduct of the fair.

Financially weak devotees not only from Mancherial town, but neighboring villages throng the altars and perform special prayers during the four day long religious affair, helping the civic body to register revenue around Rs 20 lakh. For instance, the municipality earned Rs 23.68 lakh by way of offerings and sales of various services in 2022 and Rs 20.15 in 2020.

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The biennial fair is slated to be celebrated from February 21 to 24. Barely a fortnight is left to make necessary arrangements to avoid inconvenience to the devotees. However, the officials are facing criticism from the devotees for showing negligence in creating basic amenities for the fair. The devotees urged the officials to expedite the work on the arrangements.

When asked, Mancherial municipal commissioner A Maruthi Prasad said that work on the arrangements commenced a week ago. He stated that steps were being taken to speed up the work. The arrangements are being made at an estimated cost of around Rs 20 lakh. The work is being executed by having coordination with various departments, he explained.

Meanwhile, the riverbed of Godavari is almost covered by plastic covers, garbage and remnants of cremated bodies, as there is no water in the river after water was discharged from Sundilla barrage. The dried up river has become a cause for concern for the devotees. The pilgrims requested the officials to take steps to lift the garbage from the river and to ensure tidy environs at the holy place.