The Kerala High Court on Monday asked the State Government to deploy life guards at the Pampa, Periyar and other important rivers where Sabarimala pilgrims are likely to converge during the peak season.
A Division Bench comprising of Justice T R Ramachandran Nair and Justice A V Ramakrishna Pillai passed the order on a suo motu initiated case in connection with the drowning of a Sabarimala pilgrim in the Periyar river on Sunday.
The Bench observed that the state can get assistance from various organisations like NCC, National Service Scheme volunteers, Student police cadets and youth organisations and similar groups. The court made it clear that the measures would ensure that the devotees who are not familiar with bathing in rivers and get themselves into trouble will be kept away from dangerous zones and all necessary actions should be taken to implement the court order.
The court initiated the case after considering news paper reports that on Sunday a devotee drowned himself while taking bath. The court had passed a similar order directing the state to ensure that proper measures will be taken at rivers close to various halting centres en route to Sabarimala by indicating the danger zones.
“The government is directed to ensure through the appropriate departments and officers concerned that signboards in different languages including English, Hindi and all South Indian languages are immediately placed indicating the danger zones in Pampa and other major rivers which are accessible to pilgrims. The engineers of the irrigation department having jurisdiction over the area must do the needful to prevent further calamities of such nature,” the court had held.