TDB plans ‘fest budget’ to check spending in Sabarimala during makaravilakku, plug leaks
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A ‘festival budget’ and revised sponsorship guidelines, besides announcements in multiple languages were among a slew of decisions that the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) took at its board meeting on Monday for effective management of the mandalam-makaravilakku festival, better transparency and improved pilgrim connect.
The festival budget, the TDB said, will be prepared for expenditure control and plugging leakage. “It will help in stopping the current practice of giving money as advance for different purposes. Also, the post-festival audit can be done immediately,” TDB president K Jayakumar told reporters after the meeting.
A modern tendering process will be adopted to select traders at the shrine, he said, adding that a sanitation protocol will also be adopted. Opening a festival office at Pampa was among the decisions taken.
The meeting also decided to revise the guidelines for sponsorships at Sabarimala and other temples. The board will advertise its requirements to which sponsors can respond. The TDB will also lay out the terms and conditions. Rooms at Sabarimala currently held by donors, traders and some institutions will be reclaimed and modernised, and a housekeeping agency assigned, it was decided.
The TDB will also cut the number of daily-wage employees engaged during the festival season to one-fourth. Also, they will not be assigned for sensitive jobs like those related to accommodation and bhandaram.
Announcements, songs in multiple languages
To enhance pilgrim connect, the TDB will rope in experts to make announcements in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. Information kiosks will be set up in these languages. Also, devotional songs in Telugu and Tamil, besides Malayalam, will be played at the shrine. Stages will be set up at Pampa and Nilakkal for artists to perform. It was also decided to bring out a 24-page magazine, Sabarimala Sandesh, in Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English. “The idea is to have a better connect with devotees,” the TDB president said.