Unprecedented rush at Sabarimala leads to system collapse, chaos

PATHANAMTHITTA: An unprecedented surge of devotees in the opening days of the Sabarimala season caught the authorities unawares, throwing crowd management arrangements haywire and leaving pilgrims stranded in queues for over 10 hours without food or water on Tuesday. Many of them collapsed from exhaustion. More than two lakh pilgrims reached Sannidhanam in the first 48 hours of the season, far exceeding the daily quota of 90,000 (including 70,000 virtual queue bookings). Till noon on Tuesday alone, 44,401 pilgrims completed darshan. Darshan hours were extended till 2 pm, and barricades near the 18 holy steps were breached leading to a chaotic situation. In previous years, only 40,000 to 50,000 pilgrims visited the hill shrine per day in the initial days of the season, authorities said. The serpentine queues moved at a snails pace with devotees taking six to seven hours to reach the nadappanthal from Pampa. Once the nadappanthal became choked, those who had completed darshan struggled to exit. Many pilgrims bypassed barricades and entered from multiple directions on way to Sannidhanam. The diversion of pilgrims arriving via Erumeli through the staff gate eased congestion but prevented many from accessing the 18 holy steps, an essential ritual. Meanwhile, a pilgrim identified as K Sathi, 59, from Koyilandy in Kozhikode, died of a heart attack on the trekking path at Appachimedu near Pampa while she was on her way to the hill shrine. Travanncore Devaswom Board president Jayakumar said the surge of devotees witnessed as soon as the season began was unexpected, and surpassed all estimates. Vehicle flow at Nilakkal regulated The absence of Central forces, sought in advance, added to the pressure, he said. According to ADGP S Sreejith, who oversees Sabarimala security, the NDRF and RAF teams requested by the state are yet to arrive. The virtual queue accommodates 70,000 pilgrims, and we have capped spot booking at 20,000. It should have remained within that limit. However, the situation turned chaotic after large groups without any booking arrived seeking spot tickets. Many others who had spot bookings for future dates also reached Sannidhanam much before their allotted day. All of this triggered the surge, Sreejith said. Vehicle movement at Nilakkal has been strictly regulated, he said. What led to crisis Spot bookings exceeded prescribed daily cap of 20,000 Many who had bookings for future dates reached Sannidhanam early Surge in devotees entering via Erumeli and unauthorised forest paths Ineffective regulation of pilgrim flow at Nilakkal Absence of central forces Measures planned Spot bookings capped at 20,000 a day. Those arriving after the limit will have to wait until the next day Pilgrim flow to be regulated at Pampa itself; devotees urged to avoid unauthorised forest paths Unused queue complexes to be fully utilised to ease rush