TGRTC Plans 51,000 Trips for Medaram Jatara

WARANGAL: The Telangana government and the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) have geared up for massive transport arrangements for the Medaram Sammakka–Saralamma Jatara, Asia’s largest tribal festival. To handle an expected footfall of nearly three crore devotees, the corporation will operate 4,000 special buses between January 25 and February 1. This marks a significant increase from the 3,491 buses deployed during the previous Jatara, which carried about 16.82 lakh passengers.

Transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar and senior RTC officials said the special buses would undertake nearly 51,000 trips during the festival period. A total of 10,441 RTC personnel, including drivers, supervisors and safety wardens, have been deployed to manage operations. Schedules have been planned to ensure the departure of at least 15 buses every hour, providing uninterrupted connectivity for devotees arriving from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and other neighbouring states.

In a major relief for women devotees, the Maha Lakshmi Scheme will be fully applicable during the Jatara, allowing free travel for women in all ordinary and express special buses. For other passengers, a festival fare policy has been introduced, with a 50 per cent surcharge over the regular fare for special services. RTC officials have urged the public to prefer RTC buses over private vehicles to ensure safer and smoother travel.

Extensive infrastructure arrangements have been made at Medaram. A temporary bus station, inaugurated by minister Ponnam Prabhakar and panchayat raj minister Seethakka, has been developed across 1,510 acres with 42 dedicated parking areas. Facilities include district-wise queue lines, digital display boards showing bus schedules, a command control room for real-time monitoring, ticket counters, canteens and temporary toilets. Plans are also underway to construct a permanent RTC complex reflecting local tribal culture.

Regional managers from Warangal, Karimnagar and other zones have issued strict safety instructions to prevent the traffic congestion witnessed in earlier years. Officials noted that reckless driving and excessive dependence on private vehicles had caused severe delays and accidents in the past. To address this, RTC drivers have been directed to operate buses in single-lane convoys. All vehicles are undergoing comprehensive mechanical inspections, while safety wardens are monitoring the fitness and readiness of drivers.

The Karimnagar region alone will deploy 700 buses from depots including Godavarikhani, Husnabad, Huzurabad, Peddapalli and Manthani. The Bhupalpally depot will also run special services daily from 8 a.m., passing through Ghanpur, Mulugu and Pasra. The transport minister has instructed officials to remain stationed at Medaram until the conclusion of the Jatara to oversee operations and ensure that no devotee is stranded, even if turnout exceeds current estimates.