Warangal: The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation has begun its preparations for the upcoming Samakka – Saralamma Jatara at Medaram. Lakhs of devotees utilise the services of RTC for visiting the biennial fair to be held from January 31 to February 3. Though it is called tribal fair, people of all communities visit the shrine from across Telangana and other neighbouring states including Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharastra. It is the biggest fair held in Asia. Transportation is one of the major aspects for the smooth passage of the jatara. A state-level one-day training programme for safe bus driving was held at the Zonal Staff Training College, Warangal on Thursday.
Warangal commissioner of Police, G. Sudheer Babu interacted with the drivers and said the RTC and the police departments must cooperate with each other during the jatara. He asked the drivers to drive safely by following the lanes and not try to overtake other buses. It is the responsibility of the drivers to take the devotees to their destinations safely. District Transport Commissioner Ch. Shiva Lingaiah said during the days of the jatara there would be heavy traffic on the routes leading to Medaram. The buses need to be in good condition to avoid breakdowns in the middle of the road which might lead to a major traffic jam.
Warangal regional manager T. Surya Kiran presented the pointwise route map to be taken by the RTC buses. “The drivers must follow basic rules during the Jatara. They must not deviate from the stipulated route map. Parking must be done only in the assigned areas. They also need to take care of their health. Doctors would be available at the Medaram base camp. This is a prestigious project for the TSRTC,” he said. Executive Director G. Satyanarayana, vigilance and security joint director T. Venkat Rao and others were present.
