THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan said that Global Ayyappa Sangamam aims to transform Sabarimala into a global pilgrimage centre. The high-profile event will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He said that a final meeting on the summit will be held at Pampa on Thursday. Approximately 5,000 people have registered to attend the summit, but the Board has decided to restrict participation to 3000.
Speaking in the Assembly, the minister said the central focus of the summit will be the future development of Sabarimala. He said that around 58 lakh devotees attended the last Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, and crowd management will be a key point of discussion at the summit.
The government is actively pursuing the development of a Sabari airport, with land acquisition procedures and discussions with the Central government currently underway. He said that the government has spent around Rs 70.37 crore on Sabarimala development since 2016.
As per estimates, the development of Sannidhanam alone will require Rs 778.17 crore in three phases until 2039. Pampa’s development is projected at Rs 207.48 crore, while Rs 47.97 crore has been earmarked for the trekking path. Together, the expenditure for developing these three key pilgrim points is estimated at Rs 1,033.62 crore.