SABARIMALA: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday expressed reservation against new concrete structures coming up at Sabarimala for improving basic facilities to contain the increasing number of pilgrims. Inaugurating the function as part of the launch of new projects, the Chief Minister said developmental projects should be environment-friendly, taking into consideration the basic principles of protection and preservation of the hill shrine.
The new facilities should be implemented with the overall objective of meeting the short-term basic needs of the pilgrims without staying back at the hill shrine after darshan, the Chief Minister said.
The launch of the projects should be based on meeting the primary needs of the pilgrims, including potable water, resting place and toilets, he said.
The Chief Minister inaugurated the work on the multi-storey government guest house on 21 cents of land near Valiyanadapandal with an investment of `3.98 crore. The other project launched was the setting up of a water storage tank at Pandithavalam with a capacity of 35 lakh litres. Devaswom and Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran presided over the function. Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan, Water Resources Minister Mathew T Thomas, Public Works Minister G Sudhakaran, Forest Minister K Raju, MPs Anto Antony and Joice George, Raju Abraham MLA, Travancore Devaswom Board president Prayar Gopalakrishnan, members Ajay Tharayil and K Raghavan, Tourism director P Bala Kiran, District Collector R Girija and Devaswom Commissioner C P Ramaraja Prema Prasad were present at the function.