KOTTAYAM: Even as the Sabarimala temple has been witnessing an extremely high footfall of pilgrims for the past few days, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the situation at the hill shrine is under control. Addressing the media in Kottayam, the chief minister emphasised the government’s proactive involvement in temple affairs, ensuring diligent intervention.
“There is no uncontrollable situation in Sabarimala right now. The government machinery has been intervening diligently,” he said.
The CM said the shrine witnessed unprecedented footfall following a rush of devotees from Telangana after the assembly election there and the floods in Chennai. “The uncontrolled surge in the number of pilgrims has the potential to result in accidents that are beyond our control. To mitigate this risk, we have taken proactive measures and made necessary preparations. To manage the influx of pilgrims, we have implemented a system considering the rush at a given time, allowing pilgrims to visit the Sannidhanam in a controlled manner,” he said.
Pinarayi said that this year the number of pilgrims has significantly increased, with an average of 88,000 visitors in the four days starting from December 6, compared to an average of 62,000 during the initial days of the previous season. Being a national pilgrimage centre, Sabarimala attracts a large number of people from outside Kerala, he said.