KOCHI: The High Court on Monday directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to inform it regarding the steps planned to implement the Supreme Court verdict allowing the entry of women of all ages into Sabarimala.TDB standing counsel S Rajmohan submitted to the court that a general meeting of the board, to be held on Wednesday, will discuss the issue and inform the details. The next court hearing will be on October 8.
The Division Bench comprising Justice P R Ramachandra Menon and Justice Devan Ramachandran issued the order while considering a report submitted by Sabarimala special commissioner M Manoj pointing out delays in works to be carried out by the TDB’s Maramath wing in Sabarimala, Pampa, Nilakkal and Erumeli ahead of the Mandala-Makaravilakku festival.
Due to the flood that devastated Pampa, the pre-season works seem to be lagging behind schedule, said Manoj. There is hardly 50 days left for the season to begin. The work related to the Malikappuram temple and its precincts is yet to restart from where it was left unfinished last year. The maintenance work of the building meant for accommodating pilgrims is also delayed and maintenance work of the appam, aravana plants and incinerators have to be carried out. The toilets have to be repaired.
The drains on either side of the Nadapanthal are clogged with waste and have to be cleaned. The maintenance work of the barricade system for crowd control is incomplete.The commissioner said that the sewage treatment plant in Pampa was badly damaged in the deluge and the Njunangar bridge was covered with silt and sand.
Crowd management
The HC also directed the state government to include a female IG in the core committee to be constituted for crowd management at Sabarimala. It issued the order on a report filed by the TDB seeking a directive to the state to constitute a core committee of officers to formulate crowd control mechanisms.
The TDB suggested DGP A Hemachandran, director of Fire and Rescue Services, as the chairman of the committee while ADGP Anantha Krishnan, IG Manoj Abraham, Pathanamthitta district police chief T Narayanan and officers Debesh Kumar Behra, Harishankar and Arul R B Krishna and NDRF Deputy Commandant G Vijayan as members. Noting that only male police officers were included in the suggested list, the court held that a high-ranking female officer, preferably IG or someone not below the rank of SP, should be included in the core committee.