Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has advised the Travancore Devaswom Board and the high-power committee appointed by the Kerala High Court to avoid constructing more multistorey concrete structures at Sabarimala.
During his visit to Sabarimala on October 17, the Chief Minister said haphazard construction of buildings would do more harm than good and should be avoided. Sabarimala’s development should be based on a definitive master plan. Ordinary pilgrims visiting Sabarimala require only a modicum of facilities as they return immediately after having the darshan of the deity. As such, they do not require huge concrete structures to take rest or refresh, he said.
The Chief Minister stressed the importance of effective coordination among various stakeholder departments, especially the Forest Department and the TDB, to ensure proper pilgrim facilities at Sabarimala. The attempt should be to minimise the pilgrims’ problems, learning lessons from past mistakes. The government was aware that abatement of pollution in the Pampa river can be achieved only by ensuring total sanitation at the pilgrim centre. Steps would be taken to achieve this, he assured the meeting.
