Sabarimala pilgrimage very much under control, says Kerala CM

The daily footfall in the hill shrine was surging but the government machinery was intervening diligently to ensure an orderly situation, the chief minister said in Kottayam.

The shrine generally witnesses heavy rush during the Mandalam-Makaravilakku season, which began from November 17 this year.

This time, he said, more than 1.20 lakh devotees were offering worship at the temple daily.

A large number of devotees from neighbouring states were also thronging the temple.

The chief minister spoke after the Congress and the BJP attacked his government over its alleged failure in managing the heavy rush at the well-known shrine.

Opposition attacks

Vijayan said he had deputed Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan to Sabarimala.

He will, among other things, assess the amenities being provided to the pilgrims at Erumely, Nilackal and Pamba, a government official said.

Rejecting opposition criticism that the crowd management plans of the government and the Travancore Devaswom Board had failed, Vijayan said devotees were allowed to trek upwards only based on the rush at the Sannidhanam (temple complex).

"Uncontrolled heavy rush cause some accidents beyond our control. So, we are handling matters with utmost care," he said.

If an average of 62,000 people visited Sabarimala daily in the initial days of the last Mandalam pilgrimage season, the number had crossed 88,000 in the four days from December 6 now, he said.

In the wake of the heavy rush, the darshan timing was extended by one hour, Vijayan said.

Spot bookings

According to the chief minister, more than 20,000 pilgrims came through spot booking in the last few days while an additional 5,000 came through the traditional forest path.

"Altogether, more than 1.20 lakh pilgrims arrive in a day. Public holidays tend to be more crowded. As a result, pilgrims had to take more time to reach Sabarimala. This is what happened there in the last few days," Vijayan said.

He said it had been decided to limit the spot booking as part of plans to manage the heavy rush.

The chief minister said Rs 200 crore had been allocated in the last seven years under the Sabarimala Master Plan.

He said 16,118 police personnel were deployed at Sabarimala during the ongoing pilgrimage season.

There is no uncontrolled situation prevailing in Sabarimala, he said, and criticised the Congress-led UDF protest in New Delhi over the issue of pilgrimage to the hill shrine.

Meanwhile, a pilgrim collapsed and died on Wednesday while heading to the shrine through the traditional Pullumedu forest route.

(With agency inputs)