![\About 75 devotees have to climb the holy steps in a minute if new were to manage the rush,\ a senior police officer said. \At present, policemen literally pull the devotees along the steep steps. The steps are narrow and hence it is not possible to make separate queue for women.\](https://images.deccanchronicle.com/dc-Cover-61rj0ogfq7pl16t9anolluoh50-20180929021900.Medi.jpeg "\About 75 devotees have to climb the holy steps in a minute if new were to manage the rush,\ a senior police officer said. \At present, policemen literally pull the devotees along the steep steps. The steps are narrow and hence it is not possible to make separate queue for women.\")
Thiruvananthapuram: The Supreme Court verdict allowing women at Sabarimala poses a host of fresh challenges to the police, especially with regard to queue management, ensuring safety of women pilgrims and setting up facilities for women police personnel at Sannidhanam.
State police chief Loknath Behera is likely to hold a meeting with senior police officers on Saturday to discuss the fresh arrangements to be made, though the police does not anticipate huge flow of women devotees.
One of the major challenge is managing rush of pilgrims at 18 holy steps ('Pathinettam padi') and the queue near the temple. "About 75 devotees have to climb the holy steps in a minute if new were to manage the rush," a senior police officer said. "At present, policemen literally pull the devotees along the steep steps. The steps are narrow and hence it is not possible to make separate queue for women."
Another concern of the police is the congested queues along the queue complex that starts from Marakoottam. The terrain is steep and slope. This increases the chances of congestion. Such situations could be misused by miscreants who sneak in as devotees, police sources said.
The police is also concerned about ensuring safety of women from sexual assaults, especially since both sides of the trekking path are forest land. The chances of attack on women from hardcore devotees opposed to women entry to Sabarimala also could not be ruled out, said police sources.
Providing accommodation to women police at Sannidham is a cause for concern to the police. So far only about 20 women police personnel used to be posted at Pamba during the pilgrimage season and their main duty was to ensure that women aged between 10 and 50 do not proceed to Sabarimala. With the SC allowing women pilgrims to Sabarimala, the police would be relieved from this duty.
