Pilgrims rush contained in Sabarimala, govt to raise darshan slots

KOTTAYAM: Having brought the rush of pilgrims under control, the government on Saturday decided to adjust spot booking at the Sabarimala hill shrine according to daily crowd flow. A high-level meeting convened by Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan in Pampa also decided to increase the number of devotees ascending the holy steps to 85 per minute from the current 75 to let more pilgrims have darshan. The meeting, attended by Devaswom secretary M G Rajamanickam and Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president K Jayakumar, also addressed the need to improve existing crowd-management strategies. To expedite pilgrim movement, it was decided to deploy more experienced police personnel. Spot booking slots were capped at 5,000 until Monday after heavy influx of pilgrims threw crowd control measures haywire on November 18, the second day of the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season. As many as 53.6 lakh pilgrims visited Sabarimala during the pilgrimage season last year, and the turnout is expected to be higher this time. As per estimates, nearly five lakh pilgrims have visited Sabarimala since the start of the pilgrimage season on November 16. On November 21 alone, 72,037 devotees had darshan by 7pm. KSRTCs daily income from the Nilakkal-Pampa chain services rose to Rs 60 lakh. TDB asked to give Rs 20 lakh to police department Saturdays meeting mandated a joint daily review session at Sannidhanam led by the Sabarimala ADM and attended by representatives from the TDB, departments of police, health, fire and rescue services, forest and public works besides Kerala Water Authority. Issues identified at the sessions must be resolved promptly. Similar review meetings will be regularly conducted at Pampa and Nilakkal. The TDB will take a final decision on darshan timings at Sannidhanam following thorough consultations. The meeting asked the health department to establish an echocardiogram facility at Sannidhanam health centre, and also emphasised the need for enhanced coordination among police teams operating at Sannidhanam, Pampa and Nilakkal. Efforts will be made to improve the efficiency of the integrated control room at Pampa. Immediate measures will be taken to ensure the full utilisation of parking facilities at Nilakkal. Large LED display walls will be installed at Pampa and Nilakkal to provide real-time information to pilgrims. More personnel will be deployed urgently to ensure round-the-clock cleaning of toilets; supervisors will be appointed to monitor this. More bio-toilets will be set up and drinking water supply will be enhanced with deployment of additional staff. Issues related to dolly service operations will be addressed. Adequate lighting and drinking water will be ensured along the forest route. Necessary arrangements will be made at Erumely, with a special review meeting scheduled on November 27. Quality of food provided to officials on duty will be improved. The TDB has been directed to provide Rs 20 lakh in advance to police dept as is usual practice. Health check-ups will be made mandatory for hotel staff at Sannidhanam, and health cards issued. Fire force has been instructed to conduct preventive inspections in all hotels. The meeting also stressed the need for better coordination between KSRTC and police. Meanwhile, a 140-member Rapid Action Force (RAF) unit led by a deputy commander was stationed at Sannidhanam and Marakkoottam. They would operate in three shifts with 32 personnel each, supported by a 10-member Quick Response Team on 24-hour standby for emergencies.