THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) will scale up daily aravana production by one lakh tins and build a buffer stock of 75 lakh tins ahead of the Mandala-Makaravilakku season, president K Jayakumar said on Wednesday, while ruling out prasadam shortage at Sabarimala in future. “The aravana plant is being expanded. From October 31, its daily output will rise from 2.6 lakh tins to 3.6 lakh tins. A buffer stock of 75 lakh tins will be ready before the season begins. Quality of the prasadam will also improve,” he said.
He said major contracts for procuring prasadam ingredients will be signed by October 15. “The TDB vigilance SP will inspect the unit of the Pune-based firm that secured the jaggery tender. The TDB will buy 50 lakh kg of jaggery from the firm and source the rest through the Union government’s procurement portal,” Jayakumar told reporters in the presence of TDB members K Raju and P D Santhosh Kumar.
They said all arrangements for the pilgrimage season would be in place by October-end.
On Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan’s charge that the TDB had delayed preparations, Jayakumar said communication gap between the government and the board would be bridged. “The board will brief the government every week on the progress of preparations,” he said.
Doctors raise concern over amenity deficits ahead of pilgrimage
T’Puram: Doctors and healthcare personnel deployed for special duty during the upcoming Sabarimala Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season have raised concerns over severe infrastructure deficits, poor sanitation, and security lapses across key duty points.
Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association (KGMOA) president Dr Sunil P K handed over a comprehensive representation to TDB president K Jayakumar, cautioning that sub-par working conditions directly impair the medical fraternity’s ability to render emergency care to the lakhs of arriving pilgrims.
The association highlighted that healthcare personnel serving continuous seven-day shifts in hostile weather and difficult terrain across Sannidhanam, Pampa, Nilakkal, Erumely, and forest routes face severe operational hurdles. In past seasons, staff encountered cramped accommodation, lack of clean drinking water, unhygienic toilets, and inadequate bedding. Furthermore, deterioration in food quality has emerged as a major grievance.
‘Gold crown safe’
Refuting a news report that a gold crown donated by a devotee had gone missing, the TDB president said the thiruvabharanam commissioner had confirmed the crown was in the board’s custody in Sabarimala. Jayakumar said Vaidyanathan, a devotee from Tamil Nadu, had donated the crown in 2012. “Such valuables are normally kept in the TDB strongroom in Aranmula. The crown was kept in the storeroom at Sannidhanam as the donor wished to see it adorn the idol when he visits the temple,” he said.
New arrangements
E-payment kiosks at Sannidhanam
AI cameras for queue management
Rest facility for 6,000 at Nilakkal
Supplies to be routed through Pampa godown
