SABARIMALA: For the first time in the history of the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa, a feeling of insecurity and tension looms large as the annual pilgrimage season begins on Friday.
The lakhs of pilgrims who come for darsan will be nervous, following the tight security blanket and police restrictions at many points. The presence of police personnel and commandos in thousands at the hill shrine will be an unusual situation for the hapless pilgrims.
Inadequate facilities, including potable water, free food, resting place and toilets, will be other problems for the pilgrims at Nilakkal base camp and Pampa.
With the declaration of Nilakkal as the pilgrim camp after the devastating flood that destroyed the basic facilities at Pampa, the authorities failed to implement the scheme in three months.
The situation at Pampa, where the pilgrims have the customary bath before trekking to the shrine, is pathetic without even a single bathing ghat.