The Kerala High Court has directed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and the State government not to allow pilgrim groups to prepare food for themselves at Sabarimala, Pampa, Nilackal or along the trekking path on security reasons.
In its order issued on Friday, the Division Bench of the High Court comprising Justices P.R. Ramachandra Menon and Devan Ramachandran stated that Special Commissioner appointed by the court M. Manoj had apprised the court of the alarming situation created by various pilgrim groups cooking food for themselves in the high security forest areas in and around Sabarimala, especially in the last lap of the Makaravilakku festival.
The Special Commissioner’s report said the State government had notified the routes to Sabarimala along Elavunkal, Chalakayam, Pampa, Neelimala, Sannidhanam, Swami Ayyappan Road, Pandithavalam, Uppupara, Pullumedu, Kozhikkanam, Sathram, and the adjoining areas extending one kilometer on either side of these routes as Special Security Zone from November 15, 2017, to January 19, 2018.
‘‘It is also brought to the notice of the Court that adequate precautionary measures have to be taken for the safety of the pilgrims and the dignitaries coming to Sabarimala, in the backdrop of the serious security threats from fundamentalist elements, terrorists, and other anti-social elements,’’ the court order said.
In its earlier order in October 28, 2015, the court had given certain concession to pilgrims groups for cooking food for themselves. Taking cue from this, various groups continued visiting Sabarimala with materials such as rice, vegetables, stoves, kerosene, LPG cylinders, and the like inflammable articles for cooking food.
The court maintained that this would be detrimental to the very objective of the government notification, especially in the wake of Makaravilakku festival on January 14 when multitude of pilgrims congregate at Sabarimala and surrounding areas to worship the Makarajyoti.
Considering the Special Commissioner’s suggestions, the court has prohibited use of cooking gas, stoves using any type of fuel, kerosene, petrol, diesel, and such inflammable articles by private groups in the Special Security Zone of Sabarimala. Such articles should be detained at appropriate place against proper receipt and it should be released or returned to the pilgrims as and when requested, the court said.
Tractors detained
The police detained three tractors transporting LPG cylinders, stoves, vessels from Pampa to the Sannidhanam on Friday.
