he Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) is busy making preparations for the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrim season that begins in Sabarimala on November 17.
The pathinettampady (holy 18-steps) leading to the Ayyappa Temple premises have been covered with Panchaloha plates. The Kalasabhishekom on the holy steps would be performed on October 16.
A devotee from Bengaluru, Ashok Kumar of Essem Enterprises Ltd, has sponsored the work, estimated to cost Rs.1.5 crore.
The 18 steps have been specially crafted and moulded by artisans from Bengaluru.
TDB chief engineer G. Muraleekrishnan told The Hindu that six queue complexes were being readied on the Saramkuthi path leading to the Sabarimala Sannidhanam.
Each queue complex would have a resting area in the middle with pedestrian pathways on either side.
The queue complex would also house drinking water kiosk, cafeteria, rest room for the duty staff, and oxygen parlour. The total cost of the six queue-complexes was estimated at Rs.10.5 crore, he said.
He said repair and maintenance of various devaswom buildings at Sabarimala and Pampa too were fast progressing so as to complete the work by October 30.
High Power Committee chairman K. Jayakumar has informed that the Rs.21.5-crore modern sewage treatment plant at Sabarimala with capacity to treat 5 million litres of sewage a day will be commissioned on October 19.
The laying of interlocking cement blocks on the ground at the Nilackal base camp was under way, Mr. Muraleekrishnan said. Resurfacing of the road network at Nilackal would be completed in a time-bound manner.
He said the TDB project to augment the water storage capacity at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam by 40 lakh litres would be ready in the next few weeks. Work on two giant water tanks with storage capacity of 20-lakh litres each was nearing completion, he said.
Mr. Muraleekrishnan said the TDB was exploring the possibility of completing at least the ground floor of the Annadana Mandapam complex and the restaurant complex at Pampa Manalpuram before the start of the annual pilgrim season.
Work on the Devaswom godown at Pampa to stock jaggery too was progressing, he said.
The Devaswom executive officer told The Hindu that Aravana production at Sabarimala would begin on Tuesday so as to ensure sufficient buffer stock by the beginning of the pilgrim season.
The Rs.21.5-crore modern sewage treatment plant at Sabarimala with capacity to treat 5 million litres of sewage a day will be commissioned on October 19
