The Sabarimala High-Powered Committee on Infrastructure Development on Monday gave green signal for setting-up the much-needed and much-delayed sewage treatment plant at Sannidhanam.
Talking to ‘Express’, chairman of the high-powered committee and former Chief Secretary K Jayakumar said that the contract for the Rs 22-crore sewage treatment plant, having a capacity of five million litres per day, was awarded to Hyderabad-based Ramky Industries.
The contractor, who was asked to produce a legal fitness certificate for the final clearance on Tuesday, will take up the task with immediate effect, he said.
Jayakumar said that as per the terms of the contract, the plant will have to be fully operational in 18 months.
He said that the first phase of the plant, the sewage storage tank would be ready before the beginning of the 2014-2015 pilgrimage season. 50 Bio-toilets to be Set up: The committee cleared the proposal to set up 50 bio-toilet units on Swami Ayyappan Road and Chandrananadan Road during the coming pilgrimage season, Jayakumar said.
Jayakumar said that the committee decided to gave thrust on schemes for the collection and management of solid waste piled up at Sannidhanam and Pampa.
For this purpose, half a dozen trolleys and tractors will be bought for speeding up the collection and disposal of waste at Sannidhanam, trekking path and Pampa, he said.
Special arrangements will be made for the collection and procession of plastic waste at Sannidhanam, trekking path and Pampa, Jayakumar.
On the work annadanamandapams at Sannidhanam, Jayakumar said that necessary clearances were given by the high-powered committee to speed up the work on the two annadanapandapam near Malikappuram temple.
To be set up on sponsorship basis, instructions were given to complete the first phase of the project before the beginning of the coming season, he said.
Jayakumar said that the parking area for vehicles belonging to the states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadua and Kerala and the KSRTC buses would be ready before November 15.
He said that an aggregate number of 10,000 pilgrims vehicles could be parked at Nilackal.
Dormitories for drivers of pilgrim vehicles at Nilackal will be ready before November 15.
A total number of 600 drivers could be accommodated at the dormitories, he said.