The Sabarimala Sanitation Society (SSS), chaired by the Pathanamthitta Collector, has deployed 800 workers at Sabarimala and the base camps for the Mandalam-Makaravilakku festival.
According to the Collector, the sanitation workers have been recruited from the bordering areas of Kambom, Theni, Tirunelveli, Salem, and Madurai in Tamil Nadu with the help of the Akhilla Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sanghom. They will be given Rs.325 towards their daily wage, besides food, accommodation, two pairs of uniform, footwear, bathing soap and coconut oil.
The Collector distributed the uniforms and footwear to the SSS workers at a function held at Pampa on Monday.
The Collector said special squads comprising representatives of the Police, Revenue, Legal Metrology, Health and Civil Supplies departments have been constituted for taking effective steps to check fleecing of pilgrims at shops and hotels at Sabarimala and the surrounding areas. Ms. Girija said a duty magistrate has been appointed to coordinate the functioning of the SSS and various government agencies at Sabarimala.
