The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) authorities at Pampa should ensure transport facilities for all pilgrims returning from Sabarimala, Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran has said.
The Minister was reviewing the arrangements being made by various Government agencies and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) at Pampa and Sabarimala on Wednesday evening. He said the corporation should keep ready at least 65 buses at its seasonal depot at Pampa. The Health Department should spread awareness among the pilgrims, especially the youth, on the need to climb slowly the steep stretches of the trekking path covering the Neelimala and Appachimedu hills against the backdrop of the increasing number of deaths resulting from heart attack.
Sabarimala witnessed 14 cardiac casualties during the ongoing pilgrim season and seven of them were youths, he said.
The Minister stressed the importance of providing better sanitation at the Nilackal base camp, Pampa, and Sabarimala. He said the toilets should be cleaned every 30 minutes. Mr. Surendran said the pilgrims were reportedly happy to see the improved sanitation at Sabarimala and its base camps this time around.
‘Deploy more workers’
He said the Sabarimala Sanitation Society and TDB should deploy more sanitation workers, if needed, at Sabarimala, Nilackal, and Pampa in the coming days in view of the huge crowd expected for the Mandalapuja and Makaravilakku festival.
Reports showed that pilgrims were happy about the basic facilities provided at Sabarimala, Pampa, and Nilackal, he said.
Mr. Surendran also directed the Forest Department to provide space to the Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sanghom near the KSRTC bus station at Pampa for setting up a medicated drinking water kiosk during the pilgrim season.
Raju Abraham and P.C. George, MLAs; N. Vasu, TDB president; K.R. Jyotilal, Principal Secretary; Annapoornadevi, district panchayat president; A.S. Umesh, Additional District Magistrate; P.B. Noohu, District Collector; G. Krishnakumar, TDB Chief Engineer; and Ajithkumar, Executive Engineer, attended the meeting.
