State Police Chief Revada Chandrashekhar allayed fears regarding the rush at Sabarimala
THIRUVANNATHAPURAM: In view of the heavy rush at Sabarimala temple, Travancore Devaswom Board president K Jayakumar on Tuesday announced a series of measures to help pilgrims at Pamba to have a smooth darshan without long waits.
Jayakumar told media persons at the Sannidhanam that queues at Nilakkal would be managed in accordance with the growing number of pilgrims at Pampa.
While the maximum daily capacity at Sabarimala is 90,000, on November 17, the number rose to 98,815.
The situation was no different on November 18, with spot booking, which was restricted to 20,000, increasing to 35,000. This resulted in a huge rush at Sannidhanam.
"Water is a major issue," said the TDB president. What will happen if you are not able to provide water to pilgrims standing in the queue for hours?
There are around 20 queue complexes stretching from Marakkootam to Saramkuthi, which can accommodate 500-600 pilgrims at a time. The pilgrims can take rest and have water, and refreshment at these complexes.
Pilgrims are being encouraged to make good use of the facilities at these complexes. A regular announcement will be made to inform visitors about the facilities available at the complexes, and a coordinator will be appointed for better management and coordination of the work.
In order to ease spot booking congestion, seven new booths would be set up soon at Nilakkal in addition to the four already operating at Pampa.
The TDB has deployed 200 additional staff to distribute water and snacks to those waiting in queues. Another 200 staff would be deputed for sanitation and proper cleanliness of the restrooms.
State Police Chief Revada Chandrashekhar allayed fears regarding the rush at Sabarimala. Adequate steps have been taken for crowd control in Sabarimala, and the situation is under control, he said.
Three NDRF teams will reach Sabarimala on Wednesday to assist the existing security personnel. Virtual queue booking should arrive on the same day. The arrival of the RAF and NDRF was delayed because of the Bihar elections.
Opposition slams government
Opposition Leader V D Satheeshan lashed out at the government and TDB for failing to manage the rush of pilgrims in Sabarimala and sought the intervention of the High Court to ensure proper management. He blamed the state government for the 'dangerous' situation prevailing in Sabarimala due to the lack of proper management of the pilgrim rush.
The TDB president has admitted that an alarming situation prevails in Sabarimala, with pilgrims having to wait for 12 to 13 hours in the queue for darshan.
Due to poor crowd control, many are forced to cut short their darshan, he said.
Meanwhile, the Devaswom Minister and the government officials blamed the election code of conduct in place for the local body elections, for inadequate deployment of police personnel and officials.
In view of the election code of conduct, there are restrictions on the minister in convening meetings of officials and briefing the media on the arrangements being made by the government. The Devaswom Minister had sent a letter seeking permission from the Election Commission to convene meetings of officials regarding facilities at the hill shrine.
However, the minister is yet to receive the permission.
