Kerala CM reviews Sabarimala preparations, orders priority completion of works

Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan chaired a review meeting on Friday to assess preparations for the coming Sabarimala pilgrimage season, directing that all pending works be completed on priority before the season begins. Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan, Public Works Minister P. K. Basheer, Local Self Governments Minister K.M. Shaji, Transport Minister C. P. John, Chief Secretary Bishwanath Sinha and other officials attended.

The Chief Minister called for a joint control room bringing together all relevant departments at the Sannidhanam. Sanitation drives are to be carried out at Pampa, Sabarimala and the designated transit camps, and discarded clothing piling up at Pampa is to be cleared promptly. He also stressed that the structural stability of buildings and fire and electrical safety systems must be assured.

Construction of transit camps run directly by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) is to be expedited, and parking grounds are to be kept free of overgrowth. The board has been asked to ensure sufficient accommodation at Sabarimala for government officials on duty, including police personnel and health workers. Barricades, the Chief Minister said, should not be installed in a way that endangers devotees.

Mr. Muraleedharan said arrangements for devotees who wait for hours at Sabarimala must involve no compromise. Mr. Basheer announced that the Public Works department would take up road construction projects worth ₹551 crore. Mr. John said the KSRTC would lease 500 buses to run additional services this season, while Mr. Shaji said local self-government institutions were fully prepared for tasks including sanitation.

The TDB said the capacity of the Aravana production plant has been raised to 3.25 lakh containers a day, with a stock of 70 lakh containers to be ready by the start of the season. A mechanised system will be introduced for packing Appam. The board also announced a ₹2 lakh insurance scheme with LIC for the families of pilgrims who die during the pilgrimage.

Pilgrimage-related activities, including room bookings, will be digitised this year, and housekeeping facilities will be provided in rental rooms. A food-waste processing plant will be set up with the Suchitwa Mission. Toilet cleaning will be streamlined and 600 new bio-toilets installed.

AI camera systems will be installed at various locations at a cost of ₹3 crore. Five thousand police personnel will be deployed, and 22 emergency health centres will function during the season. The Water Authority said the new plant at Seethathode would end the reliance on tanker lorries for drinking water at Sabarimala, and Indian Railways announced 300 additional train services. The meeting decided to run awareness campaigns in other states to discourage the practice of discarding clothes at Pampa. The next review meeting will be held at Pampa in October.