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Sabarimala prepares for another season

D Jose in Thiruvananthapuram

The January stampede that killed 53 pilgrims in Kerala's Sabarimala has made the authorities very cautious about the current season commencing on November 14.

The director general of police in person is supervising the scientific crowd management and safety system, while the revenue and Devaswom authorities have augmented the facilities in and around the hill leading to the shrine.

The authorities expect 70 million pilgrims during the two-month season. Last time, 50 million pilgrims had visited the shrine. The tragedy had occurred when a coconut heap, on which many pilgrims were crowding, caved in during their rush to witness the famed Makaravillakku (celestial lamp).

Measures to avoid overcrowding on the hill have been taken on the basis of the recommendations made by the commission that went into the tragedy. One step is limiting the number of hours that a pilgrim can spend in the sannidhanam [sanctum sanctorum] to 12 hours.

"No one will be allowed to stay beyond this," a police official said.

The area from Saramkuthy would be barricaded. There would be temporary shelters all the way up. There would also be adequate number of trained police personnel to enforce the regulations. Pilgrims would not be allowed to climb trees, roofs or vehicles. Twenty acres of land on the northern side of the sannidhanam has been earmarked for them to witness the Makaravilakku.

Meanwhile, the police have, by sealing all entry points, started an exercise to keep the beggars off from around the shrine. Earlier, beggars used to hide in the forest days before the season started, and then present themselves at the sannidhanam.

Vigilance sleuths would keep a tab on policemen to prevent them from fleecing the pilgrims. The step has been taken in light of complaints in the last few years.

For the first time, the police would be using computers to control the traffic. There would be strict restrictions on parking vehicles. Parking is to be allowed only on one side of the main road leading to the shrine. No shops would be allowed on either side of the Chalakayam-Pampa road.

A scientific crime monitoring system is another new feature. A control room with all modern facilities would be set up at Pampa. Police chief B S Sastry has requested his counterparts in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to set up an inter-state crime detection squad at Sabarimala. The squad would comprise policemen acquainted with the identity and modus operandi of known offenders in South India. All district superintendents in Kerala would depute two seasoned policemen to the squad.

This step is in response to intelligence reports that some gangs are trying to sneak into the forests. Policemen with wireless sets would patrol the Erumeli-Sabarmala forest route to watch out for such elements.

A senior police official said that security would be remarkably tight in the first week of December to ward off any troubles in connection with the 'Babri Mosque Day' on December 6. Sniffer dogs, bomb detection and disposal squads and metal detectors would be deployed in all sensitive points.

There would be 3,500 police personnel on duty throughout the season. The number of policemen last season was 2,500.

The revenue authorities have set up a base camp at Vadasserikkara, the satellite town of Sabarimala, for the pilgrims to prepare for the journey to the shrine. All facilities, including a temporary fire station, are being arranged.

The Kottayam district administration, for its part, has clamped a ban on the use of plastic and balloons in Sabarimala and adjoining areas during the season. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation would operate additional buses. The buses would ply on two routes to Pampa -- via Pathanamthitta and Erumeli. The facilities at the Kottayam railway and KSRTC bus stations are also being improved.

The sanitation in Erumeli, where a large number of pilgrims gather, will be ensured. Six additional bore wells are being dug. A temporary medical aid centre and homeopathic and ayurvedic clinics would function in Erumeli for the pilgrims.

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