Kerala   

Row over quality of security gadgets

— Photo: Leju Kamal

Security concerns: Electronic surveillance equipment at the Devaswom godown in Sabarimala on Thursday.

SABARIMALA: A row has erupted over allegations of ‘inferior’ quality of electronic security surveillance equipment purchased by the police through the public-sector Keltron for the hill temple of Sabarimala.

The devices are gathering dust at Devaswom godowns at Pampa and the Sannidhanam for over a month now.

Sources alleged that Keltron had procured the security equipment costing lakhs of rupees through a Haryana-based company that was blacklisted by the government of Rajasthan. The Rajasthan government had informed the Union Home Ministry about the blacklisting of the company.

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) had sanctioned a sum of Rs.4.72 crore to the Police Department for the purchase of modern electronic equipment to provide better security cover at Sabarimala in the wake of a threat of attack by extremists.

TDB member P. Narayanan has called for a probe into the alleged irregularities in the purchase of security equipment. He said there were allegations that certain electronic equipment supplied to Sabarimala were of inferior quality and did not adhere to technical specifications.

Mr. Narayanan said he had written to Minister for Defence A.K. Antony seeking his intervention in the matter.

Experts have raised doubts about the efficacy of the electronic jammers installed in the temple precincts and at Malikappuram. They said the jammers were not giving the desired results. These jammers should have capacity to freeze electronic waves at any frequency within a 50-metre radius.

Lack of a proper mechanism to check the antecedents of workers employed at shops and other commercial establishments at Sabarimala has caused concern among the authorities, especially as the number of pilgrims visiting the temple has risen.

Sources at Sabarimala told The Hindu that the police were yet to initiate steps to verify the character and antecedents of the workers. The police have not taken a security audit at the different donor houses and pilgrim shelters at the Sannidhanam, Malikappuram and Paandithavalom.

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