The Travancore Devaswom Board has locked horns with the Forest Department over the latter’s description of the pilgrim traffic to Sabarimala as a “major hazard” in an ecotourism development project submitted to the Centre.
Talking to The Hindu , TDB president A.Padmakumar alleged a Forest Department bid to sabotage the Sabarimala pilgrimage, instead of cooperating with the board to provide the maximum possible pilgrim amenities at the pilgrim centre in the Periyar Tiger Reserve without causing harm to the forest environs.
In its report on ecotourism development submitted to the Centre, the department stated that “the ecological sanctity of the area was totally affected by the high density pilgrimage and the Forest Department seldom controls the pilgrimage activities.”
“The major hazards caused by the movement of pilgrims include collection of firewood from the forest, cutting poles for constructing sheds, littering of biodegradable plastic waste, noise pollution by chanting religious slogans, creating trekking tracks through trampling resulting in soil erosion, lighting at night during trekking to the temple, temporary camps, and halting places.”
Mr. Padmakumar said such statements in the report were derogatory and misleading. Treating pilgrims chants of Swamiyei Saranam Ayyappa as noise pollution amounted to mockery of the pilgrimage itself.
He said forest officials should better realise that the Sabarimala pilgrimage existed even before the formation of the Forest Department and the Periyar Tiger Reserve.
Mr. Padmakumar alleged an attempt to provide misleading information about Sabarimala to the Central Empowered Committee, Ministry of Environment and Forests, and even the judiciary.
Meeting inconclusive
A meeting convened by Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran and Forest Minister K.Raju on Monday to discuss corrections required in the layout of the Sabarimala Master Plan failed to sort out the issue in the absence of the Forest Department representative.
