KOCHI: The two-month-long Sabarimala pilgrimage gets going on Friday, with the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) expecting around 75 lakh devotees to visit the hill shrine this season. Around 56 lakh pilgrims visited the temple last season.
As part of its efforts to allay apprehensions of pilgrims, TDB organised meetings of devotees at Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Dubai, and Malaysia explaining the facilities provided at Sabarimala. Information centres have been opened in Dubai, Malaysia, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Visakhapatnam.
“All arrangements have been made to ensure the smooth conduct of the pilgrimage. Transport Minister Antony Raju has assured the availability of adequate number of buses running between Nilakkal and Pampa. Information centres have been opened at various railway stations and Kochi airport. Special instructions have been issued to ensure the best facilities for pilgrims arriving from other states and foreign countries,” said Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan, who arrived at Sabarimala on Thursday evening.
“We have introduced a dynamic queue system from Marakkoottam through Saramkuthy to Sannidhanam. Pilgrims can take rest in the queue complex and proceed only after receiving information on the display system. Besides, we have installed video walls at Nilakkal and Pampa where pilgrims can take stock of the situation at Sannidhanam before starting their journey,” said former TDB president K Ananthagopan.
TDB has constructed 168 urinals at Sabarimala of which 36 have been set aside for women. A clock-room complex has been constructed at Nilakkal with 14 toilets and resting space for devotees. An RO plant will be installed at Sannidhanam to ensure distribution of drinking water.
Proper lighting arrangements have been made from Pampa to Sannidhanam at a cost of Rs 1.42 crore. The board has provided administrative sanction for a `55-lakh solid waste management project at Sannidhanam. Central funds under the Swadesh Darshan will be used to realise the project. Besides, TDB has laid interlocking tiles at the transport bus stand in Nilakkal, spending Rs 36 lakh. The dispute with the forest department over construction of a nadappandal and waiting shed for pilgrims at Pampa has been settled.
As part of the Sabarimala master plan, seven staff quarters are being built in Nilakkal of which two have been completed. The laying of stone slabs on the trek route from Pampa to Sannidhanam has also been carried out. The contract for preparation of a DPR for the Pampa bridge has been awarded to Wapcos Kochi. The company has also demanded right of execution of the project. The DPR for the Sabarimala ropeway project has been finalised and submitted before court.
DEVELOPMENTS FOR DEVOTEES