NILAKKAL/SABARIMALA: Bereft of adequate facilities to meet the heavy rush of devotees, the base camp at Nilakkal on Friday started feeling the pressure as the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku festival season got underway in Sabarimala. Right from the crack of dawn, private vehicles carrying devotees from across the country began streaming into Nilakkal and police fear matters could get out of the hand if devotees in huge numbers descend there in the next few days.
“There are not enough toilets and other facilities for police personnel deployed at Nilakkal. Many toilet complexes have not started functioning. Things will get worse when it starts raining since parts of the parking area will turn into slush,” said a police officer.
Curiously, there is not even a facility to hold the pilgrims at Nilakkal to regulate devotees’ flow to the Sannidhanam.
“We are looking at all possible options. As per our assessment, a maximum of 6,000 vehicles can be parked at Nilakkal and it can be stretched by another 3,000 if the rush increases. But during peak days, the number of vehicles will go upto 15,000. Managing the crowd at Nilakkal will pose a huge challenge once the flow of pilgrims increases,” said S P Yatish Chandra, in-charge of Nilakkal Law and Order.
Police officers said the situation will grow even worse once the buses from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh start arriving at the Sannidhanam.
“Earlier, Nilakkal was used for parking buses, maxi cabs and medium-sized motor cabs. Now as vehicle parking at Pampa is completely restricted, it will be chock-a-block at Nilakkal,” they said.