The Union government and the State government should jointly chalk out and implement various development projects aimed at improving basic pilgrim amenities at Sabarimala, said Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman, Prakash Javadekar, MP.
Mr. Javadekar was here on Friday as part of a five-member fact-finding team to Sabarimala.
Talking to reporters at Sabarimala, Mr. Javadekar alleged that both the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) had failed to improve basic amenities for pilgrims.
According to him, Sabarimala should be declared a National Pilgrim Centre and the matter would be taken up in Parliament.
He said security of the temple complex and safety of pilgrims should also be given top priority at Sabarimala.
Indian Railways had failed to provide adequate rail transport facility and other basic facilities to the scores of pilgrims travelling by train for the Sabarimala pilgrimage, he said.
Delink from PTR
Mr. Javadekar, who is also a member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), has called upon the Union government to denotify and exclude Sabarimala and surrounding areas of the sacred grove from the Periyar Tiger Reserve.
He further called upon the PAC members to visit Sabarimala to have a first-person understanding of the sorry state of affairs prevailing at South India's major pilgrim centre.
He said the BJP team would apprise Parliament about the various problems. Mr. Javadekar said the BJP team would submit its report on Sabarimala to party president Nitin Gadkari.
Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP; Pon Radhakrishnan, party State president in Tamil Nadu; Manohar Reddy, party State treasurer in Andhra Pradesh; and party State president V. Muraleedharan; were the other four members of the fact-finding team.
