Sabarimala pilgrimage to begin today

Mtoday news / PTI

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 17: The Lord Ayyapa temple in Sabarimala will open its doors for the two-month long pilgrimage season on Thursday. But the memory of Pulmedu stampede in January that killed 100 people still looms large.

The Kerala government has put in place a new security manual based on the recommendations of the interim report by Justice Hariharan Nair commission. It includes a larger police force, restrictions on vehicle parking and entry to Pulmedu and installation of removable tower-lights.

 

"I think the government has done whatever they could in a very fast pace. Some of the recommendations are bound to take time," Nair said.

As part of the much anticipated Sabarimala master plan a slew of other measures have also been introduced.

The sanitation drive by voluntary organizations has helped in giving the holy shrine a facelift. Meanwhile the virtual queue system proposed by the Kerala police to facilitate online registration for ’darshan’ got the nod by the Kerala High Court.

"Since we came to power we got only 5 months for the preparations, but the government has been successful in tackling important issues in Sabarimala that needed our immediate attention," Devaswom Minister VS Shivakumar said.

"This time various state departments have come together to ensure a safe pilgrimage and if this continues everything will go well this season," Ayyappa Seva Sangham Secretary N Velayudhan Nair said.

The limitation caused by the ecologically sensitive tiger reserve area has always been an impediment in developing infrastructure in and around Sabarimala temple. For now the present government has to ensure that the proactive measures are implemented efficiently and work towards building a permanent foolproof system.