THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Supreme Court verdict on the women entry in Sabarimala will open up a slew of challenges to the state government, really hard-to-solve issues as far as the state government is concerned. A senior bureaucrat with hands-on experience in the Sabarimala affairs told Express: “It is not possible to implement the Supreme Court order without compromising on the sanctity and tradition of the hill shrine which is known for its unique traditions.”
“The hill shrine is one of the largest congested temples in the country when it is opened for the 41-day Mandalam pilgrim. The Devaswom administration can’t handle the security and safety of women in Sannidhanam if women folks are allowed along with men. Further, there will be a drop in the number of pilgrims from neighbouring states in the years to come as a large number of devotees come down here every year on account of the distinctive characteristics of the Sabarimala temple on many counts,” he said.
The ruling will also upset some of the policy decisions of the state government in Sabarimala. After the worst flood, the state government has announced that it would not allow permanent structures or constructions on the banks of Pampa. But the ruling has necessitated construction of new structures, rest rooms for pilgrims and security personnel in the forest trek path if women are allowed.
TDB stance
Travancore Devaswom Board president A Padmakumar told Express that the Devaswom Board will not entertain any permanent construction on the banks of Pamba. During the pilgrimage season, the authorities plan to construct around 1,000 toilets for pilgrims at the main transit camp. Once the women are allowed as per the ruling of Supreme Court, the Devaswom will have to set up more facilities for them at the transit camps, Pampa or the places close to Sannidhanam, which is not possible right now.
At present, the Devaswom Board has around 59 acres of land at Pampa and Sannidhanam.A recent joint survey carried out by the authorities has found that its owns 96 acres. And there is a dispute over this with the Forest Department objecting it. It will have to acquire more land if other facilities have to be developed.So the court order is fraught with a lot of challenges, which can’t be easily overcome, he said.
Land dispute
Chief wildlife warden P K Kesavan told Express that the forest department and the Devaswom Board have some differences over land issues. The department can’t allow more forest land for the Devaswom to arrange amenities as it is a reserve forest. Implementation of Sabarimala master plan is way out to find solutions to the issues of Sabarimala, he said.
The State Devaswom Board has inked a Rs 100-crore agreement with the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) the other day for setting up transit camps (edathavalom) for Sabarimala pilgrims in seven temples in the state as well as other amenities in Nilakkal and Pampa.