Tough task ahead for TDB

To ensure basic facility before pilgrim season

Biotoilets installed on the wayside at Chakkupalam in Pampa. LEJU KAMAL

Restoring basic pilgrim facilities in the flood ravaged Pampa Manalpuram in the foothills of Sabarimala in the next 42 days, and that too braving the adverse climatic conditions, will be a heady task for the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).

Moreover, the TDB has to make basic facilities exclusively for women pilgrims in the wake of the recent Supreme Court verdict permitting all women to Sabarimala.

TDB president A. Padmakumar told

The Hindu that the board had made elaborate preparations for the smooth conduct of the pilgrim season that begins on November 17.

Whether women pilgrims visited Sabarimala or not, the government and the TDB were bound to provide basic facilities for them, he said.

‘Pink’ toilets

Mr. Padmakumar said toilets for women would be given ‘pink’ colour. But, providing separate queue for women was impractical, he said.

The toilet facility at Pampa Manalpuram had been reduced to half with the destruction of three modern toilet blocks in the deluge.

Ramamurthy Mandapam with a capacity to accommodate as many as 5,000 pilgrims has been washed away. All other Devaswom buildings at Pampa Manalpuram had been badly damaged in the flood. Even the river Pampa had changed its course and the works department managed to restore the course by putting up sand bags.

Restoration project

Though Mumbai-based Tata Projects Limited had undertaken a ₹25-crore project for restoration of Pampa Manalpuram, the work to clear the huge deposits of sand from the bathing ghats and along the Triveni-Cheriyanavatom course of the river had been hit with the ongoing rain.

Mr. Padmakumar said the board was concentrating its development works at Nilackal which would be the base camp following the deluge.

Bio-toilets

TDB executive engineer R. Ajithkumar said the board would provide 400 bio-toilets at Nilackal, besides the existing 450 permanent toilets there, during the annual pilgrim season.

He said 40 bathrooms and 100 bio-toilets would be set apart for women at Nilackal. He said another permanent block of 80 toilets too would be set apart for women.

A portion of all the pilgrim shelters at Nilackal would be earmarked for women devotees. Mr. Ajithkumar said the board would open 10 more medicated drinking water kiosks at Nilackal.

He said efforts were under way to restore maximum facilities at Pampa. However, the TDB had decided not to go for any more permanent construction at Pampa Manalpuram.

Repair works of the sewage treatment plant at Cheriyanavattom would be completed in the next 15 days.