Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Friday attended a review meeting ahead of the Sabarimala pilgrimage season and called for preparations to be completed on priority before the beginning of the season. Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan, Public Works Minister P. K. Basheer, Minister for Local Self Governments K.M. Shaji, Transport Minister C. P. John, Chief Secretary Bishwanath Sinha and other officials attended the meeting.

A joint control room involving all relevant departments should be established at the Sannidhanam. Sanitation drives must be conducted at Pampa, Sabarimala, and the designated transit camps. Discarded clothing accumulating at Pampa will be removed promptly. Structural stability of buildings, fire safety systems, and electrical safety must be guaranteed, said the Chief Minister.

He also called for expediting the construction work on transit camps directly managed by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). Parking grounds must not be allowed to become overgrown with vegetation. The Devaswom board must ensure adequate accommodation facilities at Sabarimala for government officials, including police personnel and health workers.

Road construction

The Chief Minister also instructed that barricades should not be installed in a manner that poses a danger to devotees. Mr. Muraleedharan said there should be no compromise in making arrangements for devotees waiting for hours at Sabarimala. Mr. Basheer announced that the Public Works department would undertake road construction projects worth ₹551 crore. Mr. John stated that KSRTC would operate additional services this time by leasing 500 buses. Mr. Shaji affirmed that local self-government institutions are fully prepared to carry out tasks, including sanitation activities.

The TDB announced that the capacity of the Aravana production plant has been increased. It will produce 3.25 lakh containers of Aravana daily. A stock of 70 lakh containers will be ready by the start of the season. A mechanised system will be introduced for packing Appam. The board also announced an insurance scheme of ₹2 lakh, in collaboration with LIC, for the families of pilgrims who lose their lives during the pilgrimage.

Activities to be digitised

All activities related to the Sabarimala pilgrimage, including room bookings, will be digitised this year. Housekeeping facilities will be provided in rental rooms. A plant for processing food waste will be set up in cooperation with the Suchitwa Mission. Toilet cleaning operations will be streamlined, and 600 new bio-toilets will be installed.

AI camera systems will be installed at various locations in Sabarimala at a cost of ₹3 crore. Five thousand police personnel will be deployed for duty during the season. Twenty two emergency health centres will operate during the season. The Water Authority announced that with the commissioning of the new plant at Seethathode, there will no longer be a need to rely on tanker lorries for drinking water at Sabarimala. Indian Railways announced that 300 additional train services would be operated. A decision was taken at the review meeting to conduct awareness campaigns in other states to curb the practice of discarding clothes at Pampa. The next review meeting will be held at Pampa in October.