A three-member panel of observers appointed by the Kerala High Court has suggested relaxation of the restrictions imposed on movement of pilgrims in the Lower Thirumuttam and Saramkuthy areas of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.
The restrictions were imposed by the police for handling protests in the hill shrine. It could be reintroduced in case of any untoward incidents, suggested the panel in a report submitted to the Kerala High Court on Wednesday.
The major restrictions are in the form of putting barricades near Vavar Nada, Mahakanikka and Lower Thirumuttam. Some areas near the Nadapandal and Lower Thirumuttam continued to be out of bounds for devotees for viri and other rituals, it said.
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The panel has P.R. Raman and S. Siri Jagan, the former judges of Kerala High Court, and A. Hemachandran, the Director General of Police, as its members. M. Manoj, Special Commissioner to Sabarimala, is the coordinator.
The panel said there was only one way to reach Vavar Nada and there were no entry points through the barricades at Lower Thirumuttam. The police should remove one of the barricades in front of Vavar Nada so as to provide easy access to Vavar Nada, Appam and Aravana counters and Mahakanikka. An entry point should be created at the barricade at the Lower Thirumuttam from 3 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. and allow the passage of pilgrims, it said.
At Saramkuthy, the pilgrims are not allowed to proceed further after 11 p.m. when the temple closes. The pilgrims should be allowed to move freely even after 11.30 p.m. if they desire so, it suggested.
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The focus of the police is to tackle protests at the Sannidhanam, Pampa and other places. The present inflow of pilgrims is far below the peak. The inflow of pilgrims is gradually picking up. When it picks up, the police may find it difficult to control the crowd and avert the possibility of a stampede, the panel pointed out.
The situation in Pampa calls for special attention as the availability of space and infrastructure for crowd control remained depleted after the August floods, the panel pointed out.
The inflow of pilgrims through the forest route from Erumely has been growing. During the peak days of the last Makaravilakku festival, over one-lakh pilgrims were said to have used the route, the panel pointed out.