The High Power Committee (HPC) for implementation of Sabarimala Master Plan will complete various pilgrim amenity projects envisaged in the Plan in a time-bound manner, Minister for Devaswom and Tourism Kadakampally Surendran has said.
Addressing reporters at Sabarimala on Tuesday, Mr. Surendran said the State had to complete the work on the already sanctioned projects in a time-bound manner so as to get the Central clearance for new project proposals submitted by the State government.
He said the HPC chairman S. Sirijagan had taken effective steps to ensure execution of various pilgrim amenity projects at Sabarimala. Work on various new projects would begin in February, he said.
The HPC chairman said priority had been given for executing the proposed Pampa-Sannidhanam cargo ropeway project.
Mr. Sirijagan said HPC had to obtain the mandatory clearance for the same from the Forest department. The HPC was planning to launch the project in 2018 itself after conducting the environment impact assessment required for the same, he said.
The Minister said the Ayyappa devotees had rejected the anti-Sabarimala campaign in Karnataka unleashed by a party in power at the Centre.
The anti-Sabarimala campaigners had called upon the devotees not to put any offering in the Hundi (Kanicka) at Sabarimala, propping up a baseless propaganda that the State government had been taking off the revenue collected at Sabarimala to the public exchequer.
However, the Ayyappa devotees outrightly rejected all such anti-Sabarimala campaigns and the ₹168.30 crore record revenue collected at Sabarimala during the 41-day Mandalam festival season itself was a testimony to this, he said. The revenue collection at Sabarimala during the previous Mandalam pilgrimage season was only ₹148.84 crore, he said.
Mr. Surendran said the Government had not taken a single paise from the temple revenue for any other activities. Instead, the revenue collected at Sabarimala would be spent on various small and medium temples and not for any other purpose, he said.
Makaravilakku arrangements
The Minister said the District Collector R. Girija had already started making arrangements for the smooth conduct of the Makaravilakku festival at Sabarimala.
The Collector would be convening a meeting of the heads of various departments in Pathanamthitta on January 3 to review the arrangements to be made for the Makaravilakku festival, he said.
Ms. Girija said all necessary arrangements would be made at eight major Makaravilakku view points in the district for smooth Makarajyoti darshan from there.
Security personnel had already been deputed for making necessary arrangements on the Thiruvabharanam path, she said.
The Ayyappa Seva Sanghom had been entrusted with the duty of supplying medicated drinking water at different points on the Thiruvabharanam path, she said.
A. Padmakumar, TDB president; K.P. Sankaradas, K. Raghavan, board members; C.P. Ramaraja Prema Prasad, Devaswom Commissioner; K.R. Jyothilal, Principal Secretary to Devaswom; and V. Sankaran Potti, Chief Engineer, were also present.
