Singareni encourage Mini-Medaram Jataras

Mini -Medaram developed at Ramakrishnapur in Adilabad 

Singareni has been encouraging mini- Medaram jataras at local level in coal belt areas for the last 20 years in the north Telangana to prevent its workers from going to medaram jatara in Warangal to in order to achieve their coal production.

The concept of mini- Medarams were introduced by the management of SCCL following the drastic fall in the coal production in Singareni during Medaram Sammakka Sarakka Jatara in the past as thousands of workers from coal belt areas go to Warangal for more days to fulfill their vows (mokkulu) to Sammakka Sarakka. People who could not go to Warangal can offer their vows at mini- Medarams locally.  

Writer Lingala Rajasammaiah of Bellampalli town who wrote a book on ‘Medaram Sammakka Sarakka Kathanjali’ said, ‘a group of families in their colony used to go to Medaram in bullocks carts through thick forests and sometimes braving  roaming of tigers and panthers enroute to Medaram in early 1980s’ .

Earlier the Medara Jatara used to be held for once in five years and later reduced to three years and now once in two years.

People used to name their children after Sammakka Sarakka and even today the practice is prevalent in the coal belt area.   

Sammaiah said, 'Sammakka and Sarakka are their house goddesses for thousands of devotees especially from lower communities and they worship the Adivasi goddesses'.

Singareni management has constructed Sammakka and Sarakka Gaddelu at various places in the coal belt area including Srirampur RK-1 area, Goleti, on the banks of river Godavari in Macherial and also on the other side of Godavari in Godavarikhani in Karimnagar.

Retired Singareni worker Kola Narsaiah of Madaram town ship in Adilabad district said, ‘the health department used to give injections to devotees going to Medaram in Warangal to protect devotees from getting affected with diarrhea and other diseases at biggest congregation.

Singareni has started providing basic amenities at mini- medarams after constructing the Gaddelu of Goddesses to attract the devotees and created an artificial location look like Medaram of Warangal.

Rising social discord helps Maoists

History is repeating itself as far as Maoist movement in north Telangana is concerned.

Land related disputes, discrimination with villagers based on caste and class, villagers forming groups to take revenge against each other are leading to them siding either side of police or Maoists.

The same socio, economic and political conditions prevailed in the villages when Naxals gained foothold in the villages 20 years ago. 

Maoists are taking advantage of prevailing differences between villagers, the gap between rich and poor that has widened in the last 20 years and suppression on down trodden especially Dalits by the local land lords to get foothold in villages in the north Telangana.

The unrest among Adivasis caused by various government policies which alienating them from their ‘Jal, Jungle and Jameen’ apparently forcing some of them to tilt towards Maoists to protect their rights.

The recent non- tribals’ agitation backed by the businessmen and realtors demanding the relaxation in A.P Scheduled Areas Land Transfer Regulation 1 of 1970 (Prohibition of Tribal Land Transfer Act which was popularly known as 1/70Act) which was a safe guard for Adivasis’ rights in Agency areas also created unrest among the Adivasis in the Adilabad district.

Imposing restrictions on Adivasis’s movements and their natural habitats in the name of tiger zones, opencast mines in Adivasi areas, displacing them on large scale from their gudems, growing dominance of the plain area Lambada Tribals and cornering all the benefits meant for the Tribals by Lambadas and planting trees under ‘Haritha Haram’ in lands being cultivated for long time by the Adivasis without conducting joint surveys by the revenue and forest departments are also causing unrest.

The unrest among the Adivasis is quite clear and they have manifested it many times through their agitations which are on the rise in the Telangana. Maoists are reentering into villages by taking up the local social issues and settling the issues in Praja Courts (Kangaroo Courts) and threatening the local land lords and suspected police informers.

The above issues had not surfaced during the Telangana agitation though they had been simmering.The issues had not been addressed by the intellectuals of the Telangana who led the agitation to keep the people united to first achieve separate Telangana state.

This situation is indirectly giving scope for Maoist to regain foothold in the villages in the Adilabad district. Some villagers have become sympathizers of Maoists to take revenge against their rival group.

There are differences among the villagers on the land and it creates two groups in the Patha Ellapur village in Khanapur mandal in the Adilabad. One group is pasted wall posters in the name of Maoists threatening the other group and to take revenge. Police arrested some of them and sent them to judicial custody few weeks ago.

Top Naxalites of that time had attacked the house of powerful landlord and Congress leader G V Pitamber Rao in Tapalpur village in Jannaram mandal which resulted in his death and also death of his two sons in subsequent attack in Nov, 1976.

Adivasis of the interior areas are in the grip of fear in Khanapur mandal in the district following the exchange of fire reportedly that took place between police and Maoists near Shetpalli forest area under Pembi police station limits in Khanapur mandal on November 18.

Tense situation is being prevailed in the Tribal areas since Maoists killed Adivasi youth Kursinge Ballal Shah, 25, of Kheriguda of Tiryani mandal accusing him of being police informer on October 30.

Bellampalli police produced the surrendered Naxaltie Chunchula Bakkanna,38, who reportedly recently rejoined the Maoists, before the Media on November 22 and announced that Bakkanna he was accused in the killing of Ballal Sha. Police took Chunchu Bakkanna into their custody who reportedly injured in exchange of fire between police and Maoists in Shetpalli in Khanapur mandal in the Adilabad.

SP Dr. Tarun Joshi said ‘there was no need for them to kill Maoists in fake encounters and showing the arrest of the Bakkanna was best example for this and alleged that some organizations making propaganda of fake encounters against police without waiting for facts.