Work on arrangements at mini Sammakka-Saralamma altars yet to gain momentum

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.

Mancherial: Even as the biennial Sammakka Saralamma jatara approaches fast, work on mini altars of the deities has not yet gained momentum, pointing to a lackadaisical approach on part of officials concerned.

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 takes care of sanitation, drinking water facilities, setting up temporary toilets, lighting system, bathrooms, shades, etc., for smooth conduct of the jatara.

---

Poor people 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 lakh in 2020.

The biennial fair is slated to be held 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 on Tuesday. 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.

River turns dumpyard

Meanwhile, the riverbed of Godavari turned a dumpyard with occupying of plastic covers, garbage and cremation of bodies, due to lack of water in the river after water was discharged from Sundilla barrage. The dried river has become a cause for concern for the devotees. The pilgrims requested the officials to take steps to lift the garb from the river and to ensure tidy environs at the holy place.