Various Government departments and the Travancore Devaswom Board have made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the forthcoming Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season at Sabarimala that begins on November 17.
This was announced by the heads of various Government departments and the TDB at an official meeting convened by Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, at the devaswom hall in Pampa on Monday.
Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister said each department should see to it that the decisions taken at the meeting with the regard to the smooth conduct of the pilgrim season were effectively implemented.
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Addressing the meeting, Mr K.Jayakumar, Additional Chief Secretary and M.Rajagopalan Nair, TDB president, said every human possible effort has been taken by both the Government and the board to make the forthcoming pilgrimage season smooth and trouble-free.
They said the queue complex at Sabaripeedhom will be completed in the next two weeks and the work on the second queue complex at Saramkuthi was fast progressing.
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Additional Director General of Police, P.Chandrashekharan, said an exclusive security manual has been prepared for Sabarimala and Erumely to would be brought in its ambit, besides Sabarimala Sannidhanam and Pampa. The police department would deploy additional force at Pampa and Sabarimala during the annual pilgrimage season. The National Disaster Response Force and Rapid Action Force attached to Central Reserve Police Force would also deploy a 140-strong contingent each of security personnel at Sabarimala during the period, said Mr Chandrashekharan.
Health department
Presiding over the meeting, V.S.Sivakumar, Minister for Devaswom and Transport, said the Health department would open a full-fledged hospital at Nilackal base camp at the three-storey building provided by the TDB.
The proposed hospital will have a 30-bed in-patient facility, operation theatre, intensive care unit and an advanced clinical laboratory.
As many as 36 doctors from Andhra Pradesh will also join the band of doctors to be deployed at various hospitals at Sabarimala, Pampa an Nilackal during the pilgrim season.
The Chief Minister has directed the Health department to explore the possibility or procuring sufficient number of ambulances from the neighbouring States too for the hospitals at Pampa, Nilackal and Sabarimala in the backdrop of the acute shortage of ambulances with the Health department.
Mr Chandy also directed the Railway authorities to open an information centre for Sabarimala pilgrims at the Kayamkulam Junction during the Mandalam-Makaravilakku festival.
District Collector, P.Venugopal, said the Sabarimala Sanitation Society would deploy as many as 750 sanitation workers for cleaning at Sabarimala during the pilgrim season. The district administration would deploy special squads to ensure strict monitoring of the price fixed for various food items and check fleecing of pilgrims at hotels and other shops, he said.
Mani sanctions fund
Finance Minister, K.M.Mani has sanctioned an emergency release of Rs 39 lakhs to the Kerala Water Authority for carrying out various repair works at its pumping stations to ensure prompt supply of drinking water to various base camps of Sabarimala pilgrims.
KSRTC orders 500 new buses
Mr Sivakumar said Kerala State Road Transport Corporation has ordered 500 new buses for operating Sabarimala Special services from different parts of the State during the forthcoming Mandalam-Makaravilakku season.
According to him, there is no shortage of buses with the KSRTC. He said the Government would also explore the possibility of conducting the Kumily-Uppupara service as in the previous years in consultation with the Forest department. TDB president has stressed the need to augment security to the Ayyappa shrine and for ensuring strict vigil by the Forest department on various forest paths leading to Sannidhanam during the pilgrimage season.
Revenue Minister, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan; Anto Antony, P.Thomas, K.N.Balagopal, MPs; K.Sivadasan Nair, Raju Abraham, N.Jayaraj, MLAs; Babu George, District Panchayat president; Mini Antony, Kottayam Collector and Thennala Balakrishnan Pillai, Akhila Bhartha Ayyappa Seva Sanghom president; addressed the meeting. Jacob Punnose, Director General of Police; K.Cicily, K.M.Velayudhan, TDB members and A.Sureshkumar, Pathanamthitta municipal chairman, also attended the meeting.