KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has directed the Pathanamthitta police to ensure that the toilet blocks and other places along the trekking path of Sabarimala are not used by unauthorised vendors for cooking food and selling it. A Division Bench comprising Justice T R Ramachandran Nair and Justice P V Asha issued the directive on the basis of a media report that food was cooked in toilet blocks.
The Special Commissioner, Sabarimala, in a report filed before the court stated that the toilet block was auctioned in favour of two individuals. “The vendor was cooking food for his staff and the cooked food was not intended for sale,” it was stated in the report.
The Bench directed the state police chief to ensure that the toilet blocks and other places on the trekking path are not used by unauthorised vendors for cooking and selling food items during the monthly poojas. “The Food Safety Department should ensure that sufficient number of officers are deployed to inspect the quality of food being sold at different tea shops during the poojas,” the court said.