SABARIMALA: The Sabarimala high-powered committee on the master plan, headed by former judge of Kerala High Court Justice S Siri Jagan, will meet here on Thursday to discuss the projects to be implemented to improve the basic facilities for the pilgrims during the 2018-2019 pilgrimage season. Travancore Devaswom Board president A Padmakumar, members K Raghavan and Sankaradas, devaswom commissioner C P Ramaraja Prema Prasad and devaswom chief engineer V Sankaran Potti will be among those who will participate in the discussions. The projects to come up for discussions at the meeting will be the implemented under the `99-crore funds of the Union Tourism Ministry’s Swadeshi Darsan Programme.
The schemes to be taken up for implementation during the next pilgrimage season include renovation of the trekking path of Pampa-Neelimala-Appachimedu-Sabaripeedom with an estimated cost of `3 crore; the installation of dust signage and dustbin on the trekking path at Sannidhanam having an outlay of `16 lakh.
Setting up of open showers at the bathing ghat at Pampa at an estimated cost of `40 lakh and at Erumeli at an estimated cost of `11 lakh.
The other important projects to come up for discussion will be two semi-permanent buildings to be used as resting place for pilgrims at Pandithavalam to accommodate 1,000 people at a time.
At Erumeli, setting up of open showers at the bathing ghat on the side of the stream in front of the temple and a toilet block at an estimated cost of `1 crore.
The meeting will review the projects already under implementation under the Central Government scheme. The committee will take up the delay in the implementation of the water storage tank at Pandithavalam cleared in July, following the negative attitude of the Forest Department authorities.