With just days left for the Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, the Keralam government has stepped up preparations at Sabarimala, introducing a digital portal and a WhatsApp chatbot to provide pilgrims access to essential services and real-time information.Revenue Minister A P Anilkumar on Thursday inaugurated the Sabari portal and chatbot, developed by the Pathanamthitta district administration to streamline pilgrimage-related services and improve coordination among government departments.

The portal, accessible without downloading a separate application, brings together information on darshan, transport, accommodation, healthcare, emergency assistance and facilities at Pamba, Nilakkal and Sannidhanam, according to an official statement.

The minister said the platform would enable authorities to digitally monitor every stage of the pilgrimage while ensuring that pilgrims could access various services through a single platform without having to approach different government offices.

A key feature is the facility to report missing persons and lost belongings, including mobile phones, according to an official statement. Such complaints will be automatically forwarded to the police control room, while updates on the action taken will be sent to complainants through WhatsApp. Users can also upload photographs while filing complaints.

The portal provides location-based information on drinking water points, toilets, medical centres, hospitals, police services, parking facilities, rest areas and ATMs. Pilgrims can use Google Maps to locate the nearest facilities and navigate to them, it said.

Information on darshan waiting time, the number of pilgrims who have completed darshan, pooja timings, the schedule of darshan and water levels at the Pamba Triveni bathing ghat will also be available. Official announcements, safety alerts, guidelines and trekking routes have been incorporated into the platform.

The system has been integrated with KSRTC to provide details of long-distance services from Pamba, Nilakkal-Pamba chain services and special buses. Train timings at Chengannur, Thiruvalla and Kottayam railway stations are also available. Pilgrims can access details of government hospitals and medical colleges, including their locations and telephone numbers, and directly contact hospitals through the portal.

A separate facility has been introduced to monitor prices at shops in Pamba, Nilakkal and Sannidhanam The official prices of commodities are available in multiple languages, while the 'Check My Bill' facility allows pilgrims to verify purchases and lodge complaints, with details of the shop, if they are overcharged or denied bills.

Complaints relating to sanitation, public toilets, KSRTC and the Travancore Devaswom Board can also be submitted through the portal and will be forwarded to the respective control rooms and inspection squads. Complainants will receive updates through WhatsApp. Emergency numbers, including 112, 1077, 108, 100 and 101, can be accessed directly, it said.

The portal also has an administrative dashboard to monitor the functioning of various departments, including staff deployment, attendance, duty allocation and performance reports. It will facilitate real-time monitoring of sanitation activities across 15 sectors at Sannidhanam, involving around 300-400 sanitation workers.

The system will also integrate information on weather, temperature, reservoir water levels, wildlife attacks, vehicle accidents, KSRTC services and inspections by price-control squads.

Meanwhile, chairing a review meeting on pilgrimage preparations at Pamba, the minister directed all departments to work in coordination to ensure a safe and hassle-free pilgrimage, with particular emphasis on cleanliness, safety and quality of services.

He stressed the need for special measures to prevent pilgrims from abandoning clothes in the Pamba River as part of religious practices and called for awareness campaigns to discourage the practice. A mechanism should also be put in place to collect and remove discarded clothes promptly.

The minister also called for expanding electric vehicle charging facilities, including setting up at least two charging stations during the pilgrimage season, particularly at Nilakkal, in view of the growing number of electric vehicles.

He directed the Travancore Devaswom Board to strengthen multilingual announcements at Pamba and Sannidhanam to help pilgrims arriving from outside Kerala. Emergency assistance, drinking water and other basic facilities should be ensured without inconvenience to devotees, he said.

The minister said preparations for the next pilgrimage season should begin immediately after the conclusion of the ongoing one, in line with the Chief Minister's directive, so that facilities could be progressively improved based on experience.

District Collector A Nizamudeen said the digital initiative would strengthen coordination among departments and help officials take quicker decisions based on real-time information. The 41-day-long Mandalam pilgrimage season commences on November 17.

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