An uneasy calm prevailed in Medaram and surrounding villages on Sunday. As if a magic wand is waved, suddenly lakhs of people disappeared and there is no clamour of people, sound of drums and dance and devotion.
The atmosphere looked sombre with hardly a few people moving about in this village inhabited by 100-odd families in normal times.
The giant wheels offering entertainment, the gushing waters from battery of taps, uninterrupted glitz from scores of electric lamps were all gone leaving place in utter silence and thick fog that enveloped thick forest.
On Sunday one could see few sanitation staff cleaning up the premises at the altar, jampanna vagu and other places used most by the public. “Unlike in the past, sanitation operations were undertaken round the clock during the jatara,” explained District Collector Vakati Karuna.
In the past, post jatara operations assumed importance as the stench and filth left by the people made life unbearable to the inhabitants of surrounding villages. This time, the garbage was removed round the clock, chlorination and spray of bleaching powder was taken up all through the jatara period.
Closing of sanitary latrines, spraying more bleaching powder and burning of waste were undertaken on Sunday thus concluding the operations in one day.
The Collector said that they would be conducting special medical camps in Medaram and surrounding village for the next few days for the residents and medicines would be distributed free to prevent outbreak and spread of any diseases.
