The devaswom 'bhandarom' at the Sannidhanam, where the offerings made by devotees to the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple are counted, will get a new look soon.
The Travancore Devaswom Board will augment its capacity and improve the security measures there on the basis of a Kerala High Court order a few months ago.
TDB Executive Engineer Jolly Ullas told The Hindu that the Devaswom Works Department had prepared an estimate and design of the proposed extension of the bhandarom.
The proposal is to convert the space beneath the flyover leading to Malikappuram from the Ayyappa temple into a safe and secure compartment which will be connected to the nearby bhandarom hall attached to the temple complex by constructing a tunnel, Mr. Ullas said.
He said the conveyor belt that carried the offerings made by the devotees at the temple ‘sopanam' to the bhandarom would be extended to the new compartment.
Mr. Ullas said the walls of the proposed bhandarom compartment would be made of glass with iron grills inside so that people could watch the round-the-clock functioning of the bhandarom, ensuring better transparency.
He said the proposed bhandarom extension counter would accommodate 16 counting tables. Cameras connected to close-circuit televisions would be installed, he added.
The estimated construction cost of the extension counter was Rs.26 lakh, besides Rs.12 lakh for extending the conveyor belt, he said.
Mr. Ullas said the TDB was planning to complete the project before the beginning of the pilgrim season after obtaining clearance from the High Court.
