Sabarimala hi-powered committee chairman and former Chief Secretary K Jayakumar has said that measures would be taken to ensure safety and security of pilgrims during the ensuing mandalam season.
Addressing a meet-the-press programme, here on Saturday, he said the next meeting of the committee to be held on Monday would discuss with the police and fire and rescue services personnel on the implementation of the Sabarimala safety manual, which was accepted by the government.
“Modalities will be worked out at the meeting to ensure safety and reduce the hardships of the pilgrims at Sannidhanam,” he said.
The ex-chief secretary said that the work on the various projects, including the four parking lots for the pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and the KSRTC buses, at Nilackal would be completed before the onset of the season. “With the completion of the projects, over 10,000 vehicles could be parked at the Nilackal pilgrim transit camp,” he said.
The construction of the accommodation facilities for the drivers of the vehicles at Nilackal will also be ready by November 15, he said. Works on the interior roads, water supply facility from Kadavakkuzhi stream will be completed in time, Jayakumar said.
“The newly-constructed Pampa Government Hospital will be opened for the pilgrims and renovation work on Swami Ayyappan Road is nearing completion,” he said.
Jayakumar said that the work on the sewage treatment plant at Sannidhanam will be awarded to a contractor on Monday. The first phase of the plant will be operational before the 2014-2015 pilgrimage season. The plant is expected to be fully operational in 18 months, he said.
The hi-powered committee meeting will also finalise the modalities on the implementation of the work on the new prasadam complex at Sannidhanam.
Jayakumar said that the issue of the implementation of the augmentation of Kunnar dam water storage capacity will be sorted out soon. The augmentation work will be completed before the pilgrimage season.
He said the project proposals for the work on the ropeway to carry goods from Pampa to Sannidhanam will also be taken up at the meeting.
The works on sub-way at Marakoottam, bridge linking Malikappuram temple with the Nadapandal near Annadanamandapam and the first phase of the two ‘Annadanamandapams’ will be completed before November 15.