KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday held that devotees without virtual queue booking or spot booking tickets should not be allowed to enter Sannidhanam. The court said the chief police coordinator, Sannidhanam, should regulate the movement of pilgrims through ‘Pathinettampadi’ in an appropriate manner, without compromising their safety, to ensure darshan to a maximum number of pilgrims.
The special queue in segment nine should be used for the movement of women, children and persons with disabilities, it said. A division bench comprising Justice Anil K Narendran and Justice G Girish made the observation when a case registered suo moto regarding crowd management at Sabarimala came up for hearing.
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) should ensure that the queue complexes and pilgrim sheds are kept clean and tidy around the clock, by deploying a sufficient number of employees. The board should deploy 72 employees, as suggested by the chief police coordinator, in two shifts of 36 employees round the clock exclusively for cleaning the queue complexes and toilet facilities in those buildings, the bench observed.
High Court issues directives to chief police coordinator
The chief police coordinator, Sannidhanam, has already deployed one police personnel each in 17 parking grounds at Nilakkal. The Board should deploy a sufficient number of security personnel/employees at each parking ground to ensure that the space is used to the maximum.
In case vehicles are blocked as part of the ‘hold and release’ mechanism for a considerably long period between Laha and Nilakkal, the police and enforcement officers in the MVD should conduct sector patrolling and pilgrims should be given water and biscuits with the assistance of the executive officer, Sabarimala, or the administrative officer, Nilakkal, the court said.
The court said the board should consider whether the pilgrims can be provided with drinking water and biscuits at such locations, through NSS volunteers in educational institutions or with the assistance of the concerned Local Self Government Institutions. ADGP Ajith Kumar, the Chief Police Coordinator, appeared in person before the court and explained aspects of crowd management.