Development work on the Pampa-Marakkoottom road leading to Sabarimala Sannidhanam is under way at Pampa. Jolly Ullas, Executive Engineer of the Travancore Devaswom Board, told The Hindu that the work would be completed in three weeks. The Thiruvananthapuram-based Subrahmaniyam Trust had sponsored the road development project estimated at Rs.1.15 crore.
He said the proposal was to widen the Swami Ayyappan Road to 2.5 metres. The road would be concreted so that materials for aravana, appam and other articles for prasadom preparation, annadanam, could be transported easily. The original proposal was to widen the road to five metres at an estimated cost of Rs. 4 crore.
Mr. Ullas said the road work was launched only after the iron girders for the Bailey bridge under construction at the Sannidhanam were transported. The work on the 240-metre long diversion road-cum-Bailey bridge linking Sannidhanam with the Chandranandan Road was fast progressing.
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The diversion road had been designed as a combination of ramp and steps to ease congestion at the Sannidhanam during the pilgrimage season. The Travancore Devaswom Board had also decided to open an additional ‘prasadom' distribution complex near Malikappuram so that pilgrims returning from ‘darshan' need not wait at the lower ‘tirumuttom' to buy ‘prasadom'.
The Chennai-based Pithavadiyan and Partners has designed the diversion road estimated at Rs.122 lakh. Mr. Ullas said the improvement of the road network and vehicle parking lots at Nilackal base camp would begin soon.