SABARIMALA: Devaswom Minister Kadamkampally Surendran has said the parking facilities at the Nilakkal pilgrim transit centre have been extended to accommodate 11,000 vehicles from 9,000 earlier. Talking to media persons here on Sunday, the minister said a 20,000-sq-ft area at Nilakkal has been cleared as parking area for accommodating an additional 2,000 pilgrim vehicles.
The authorities have arranged basic facilities, including drinking water supply, toilets and resting place, for the pilgrims at the Nilakkal base camp for the pilgrimage season.
The minister also said the government would approach the Kerala High Court to allow small vehicles up to Pampa to drop off pilgrims and return and park at Nilakkal. An adequate number of KSRTC buses have been deployed for the Nilakkal-Pampa chain service and more buses would be pressed into service as and when the number of pilgrims increases.
For the convenience of pilgrims using the Nilakkal chain service and prevent long queues and delay, the token system for boarding the buses has been given up. Instead, the conductor would issue tickets after the pilgrims board the bus, the minister said.
At Sannidhanam, measures have already been initiated to ensure a clean atmosphere by deploying an adequate number of sanitation volunteers, he added. The Travancore Devaswom Board’s free food distribution facility at Malikappuram began functioning on Sunday.