Sudden surge in Sabarimala temple: Kerala CM calls for concerted measures for better crowd management

Idukki (Kerala) [India], December 12 (ANI): In response to the increased footfall of pilgrims at Sabarimala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed further coordinated efforts. Steps should be taken to put in place concerted measures without causing inconvenience to the pilgrims, the Chief Minister said at the special Sabarimala review meeting held at Thekkady on Tuesday.
The meeting was attended by state Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan, Forest Minister AK Saseendran, and Chief Secretary V Venu, along with Devaswam board president PS Prasanth, State Police head Sheikh Darvesh Sahib and district collectors who attended online.
In the first 19 days of the Mandalam season, 62,000 odd pilgrims visited Sabarimala. This number has steeply risen to 88,000 in the following four days since December 6. This sudden surge triggered the heavy rush at the hillock temple.
To plug the issue, the darshan timing has been extended for an hour. The Chief Minister has also suggested limiting the spot booking to emergency situations only.
On Sabarimala security issue, Tamil Nadu BJP vice president Narayanan Thirupathy said, "...It shows the anti-Hindu sentiment of the DMK government, we strongly condemn this. We had protested, and our BJP and all other Hindu front activists were there. They have been arrested by the police it is a very clear indication that this government is not bothered, it is not giving any respect to the sanctity."
"They are not able to maintain the sanctity of the temples. This is what has happened and we strongly condemn we feel really sorry for the devotees because they don't have any motivation or they don't have any motive to hit or injure the people working there. So it is the arrogance that we are seeing everywhere in all the temples," he added.
Earlier, meetings were held to chalk out measures to ensure a hassle-free darshan. The decisions taken in those meetings will be strictly implemented. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also stressed the need for special attention arranged for women and child pilgrims.
The parking system should be functioned as per the earlier decision and the Devaswom board should ensure it.
Traffic control and crowd management should also be prioritised. The duty rotation of police personnel should not be done in a go but should keep a few men in the duty line. Compared to last year, more cops have been deployed in Sabarimala this season.
The Chief Minister urged to find volunteers from appropriate agencies.
He emphasized that no untoward incident has occurred in Sabarimala but efforts should be made to disseminate the right information about the various measures put in place to control the crowd thus preventing the rumours.
The Travancore Devaswam president and others should continue camping at Sannidhanam and carry out such important activities. The Chief Minister mourned the death of a child pilgrim at Sabarimala. (ANI)