“Sabarimala is the sacred grove of Lord Ayyappa and each devotee should make it his or her responsibility to keep the forests clean and free of plastic,” says Aneesh Namboodiri, Melsanthi of the Malikappuram Devi temple.
The 38-year old Melsanthi hailing from Varickom Illom at Mainagappally in Kollam district has started his own campaign among the pilgrims to free Sabarimala of plastic menace.
Puja articles
Malikappuram is a place where the pilgrims leave small plastic covers in which they bring puja articles such as turmeric, camphor, holy ash (bhasmom), agarbathis, etc, in their Irumudilkkettu.
The Sabarimala Sanitation Society workers clear heaps of plastic covers from the Malikappuram area on a daily basis.
Burning of these plastic covers in the incinerators too is highly hazardous for the wild flora and fauna, says Mr. Namboodiri.
He says plastic waste menace can be checked only by making the pilgrims aware of its ill-effects and not through any penal action.
The Melsanthi said he could convince at least a section of pilgrims on the negative impacts of the plastic waste in the Sabarimala forests and would continue his campaign in the coming days too.