With less than a fortnight left for the annual pilgrimage season in Sabarimala to begin, the authorities will carry out a safety inspection along the route to Sabarimala from Pathanamthitta.
The inspection, to be conducted by the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) , seeks to identify the black spots and accident-prone locations along the stretch and initiate measures to keep the accidents under check. The action coincides with a similar drive by the police and the Motor Vehicles Department to upgrade the safety of vehicles that ply along the Erumely -Elavungal route. During a meeting of the Disaster Management Authority, Pathanamthitta District Collector A. Shibu also directed the local bodies to complete all arrangements at the Idathavalams or stopovers of pilgrims. A massive clean-up drive will begin in the district on November 10. Steps have been taken to clear the traditional path through which the sacred jewels from the Pandalam palace will be taken to Sabarimala. The Public Works Department, meanwhile, has been directed to complete the road repair works by November 10 and complete the road safety arrangement in five days. All bathing ghats will be inspected and barricades and warning boards will be installed, besides appointing life guards. An emergency management centre will be operational from November 15 onwards. Meanwhile, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has opened the virtual queue bookings for the first phase of the season from November 17 till December 27. As part of regulating the rush of devotees, the Board will be installing digital display boards in the queue complexes from Marakkoottam to Sannidhanam. “The digital display boards are being installed as part of the TDB’s plan to implement a Tirupati-model queue system at the hill temple. It will help the police to know the status of pilgrim rush at different points and regulate the crowd accordingly’’, said an official With the season fast approaching, the Board is also racing against time to complete the maintenance and repair works at Sannidhanam and Pampa including the maintenance of buildings and construction of a hydraulic roof over the 18 holy steps.
