SABARIMALA: Hundreds of volunteers of Mata Amritanandamayi Math began the two-day cleaning programme at Sannidhanam as part of the upcoming pilgrimage season.
The volunteers who gathered in large numbers at Sannidhanam on Friday evening began cleaning at Sopanam, Lower Thirumuttam, Malikappuram, Pandithavalam, Bhasmakulam, Valiya Nadapandal, Chandranandan Road, Marakoottam and the trekking path between Appachimedu and Pampa.
Sabarimala melsanthi P N Narayanan Nampoothiri inaugurated the cleaning programme at Sannidhanam at 5 am.
The volunteers collected plastic and other waste from both sides of the flyover connecting Sopanam and Malikappuram, the backyards of pilgrim centres and donor houses, on the eastern side of the Valiya Nadapandal in the morning.
The volunteers were served free food by the Travancore Devaswom Board.
Devaswom and Health Minister V S Sivakumar will inaugurate the cleaning programme at Ramamurthi Auditorium at Pampa at 10 am on Sunday. Travancore Devaswom Board president M P Govindan Nair will preside over the function. Travancore Devaswom Boardmembers Subhash Vasu and P K Kumaran and Devaswom commissioner P Venugopal will speak on the occasion.
The cleaning programme on Sunday will cover Pampa, bathing ghat and Sabarimala road between Pampa and Laha.