Streamline crowd administration at Sabarimala following enhance in devotees: Kerala HC

By PTI

KOCHI: With a rise in footfall on the famed Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala through the ongoing pilgrimage season, the Kerala High Court on Sunday issued a slew of instructions to the police and temple authorities concerning crowd administration and management of vehicular site visitors to make sure easy ‘darshan’ for pilgrims.

In the absence of COVID-19 restrictions, not like the earlier two years, devotees have turned up in enormous numbers this 12 months at Sabarimala in Pathanamthitta district of the state for the annual two-month-long Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage which started on November 17.

The enhance in footfall additionally resulted in crowd administration and site visitors management points, particularly on Saturday when shut to at least one lakh bookings had been made by way of the digital queue system and round 90,000 devotees arrived for ‘darshan’, the excessive courtroom famous in its particular sitting held through the day.

A couple of police personnel on responsibility sustained minor accidents attributable to points in crowd administration, the courtroom was instructed.

In view of those developments, the day past and the truth that digital queue bookings had been above one lakh for Monday, a bench of Justices Anil Okay Narendran and P G Ajithkumar held a particular sitting and directed the District Collector and the District Police Chief of Pathanamthitta to evolve a crowd administration plan when the anticipated footfall is above 75,000 per day.

The plan can be advanced as per the digital queue bookings and in session with the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and the Special Commissioner, Sabarimala, the bench stated.

It additionally stated that whether or not the sanctum sanctorum of Sabarimala Sannidhanam, which is open for 18 hours a day, can stay open for an additional half-hour or one hour was for the TDB to think about in session with the tantri of Sabarimala.

Regarding the administration of vehicular site visitors on the routes to Sabarimala, the courtroom directed the District Police Chief to rearrange patrolling on bikes when the motion of autos is blocked for lengthy intervals.

“In case the movement of vehicles is blocked for a considerably long period, the Travancore Devaswom Board shall make necessary arrangements for providing ‘chukkuvellam’ and biscuits to pilgrims in such vehicles,” it stated.

It additional directed that when parking grounds at Nilakkal in Pathanamthitta attain the utmost capability, entry of autos must be regulated appropriately by the police.

“The restrictions imposed on the parking of vehicles at Nilakkal parking grounds shall be made known to the pilgrims, through the public address systems at edathavalams,” the bench stated.

Edathavalams are halting factors for pilgrims.

The TDB was additionally directed to make sure that the parking contractor engages ample workers to make sure correct parking of autos.

The courtroom’s instructions got here on three separate pleas initiated by it by itself with one concerning the administration of the digital queue system and the opposite two based mostly on particular person complaints on restrictions on the entry of autos from Nilakkal to Pamba and difficulties confronted by pilgrims at Nilakkal and Pamba within the absence of queue system for the passengers boarding KSRTC buses.

All three had been taken up within the particular sitting in view of the gang administration points confronted on Saturday on the shrine.

Meanwhile, the Congress-led UDF opposition alleged that the Left authorities fully did not be ready for the large footfall anticipated this 12 months at Sabarimala.

Leader of Opposition within the state meeting V D Satheesan alleged that the state authorities and the TDB failed to understand that variety of pilgrims would enhance post-COVID. He stated that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the ministers involved ought to go to Sabarimala to take inventory of the state of affairs and problem obligatory instructions. Satheesan additionally advised {that a} accountable minister be given full management over what is going on on the temple until the pilgrimage season will get over.

The Mandala puja pageant will conclude on December 27. Thereafter, the temple will likely be opened once more on December 30 for the Makaravilakku pilgrimage, which can finish on January 14, 2023.

The shrine will likely be closed on January 20, 2023, concluding the pilgrimage season.

KOCHI: With a rise in footfall on the famed Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala through the ongoing pilgrimage season, the Kerala High Court on Sunday issued a slew of instructions to the police and temple authorities concerning crowd administration and management of vehicular site visitors to make sure easy ‘darshan’ for pilgrims.

In the absence of COVID-19 restrictions, not like the earlier two years, devotees have turned up in enormous numbers this 12 months at Sabarimala in Pathanamthitta district of the state for the annual two-month-long Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage which started on November 17.

The enhance in footfall additionally resulted in crowd administration and site visitors management points, particularly on Saturday when shut to at least one lakh bookings had been made by way of the digital queue system and round 90,000 devotees arrived for ‘darshan’, the excessive courtroom famous in its particular sitting held through the day.

A couple of police personnel on responsibility sustained minor accidents attributable to points in crowd administration, the courtroom was instructed.

In view of those developments, the day past and the truth that digital queue bookings had been above one lakh for Monday, a bench of Justices Anil Okay Narendran and P G Ajithkumar held a particular sitting and directed the District Collector and the District Police Chief of Pathanamthitta to evolve a crowd administration plan when the anticipated footfall is above 75,000 per day.

The plan can be advanced as per the digital queue bookings and in session with the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and the Special Commissioner, Sabarimala, the bench stated.

It additionally stated that whether or not the sanctum sanctorum of Sabarimala Sannidhanam, which is open for 18 hours a day, can stay open for an additional half-hour or one hour was for the TDB to think about in session with the tantri of Sabarimala.

Regarding the administration of vehicular site visitors on the routes to Sabarimala, the courtroom directed the District Police Chief to rearrange patrolling on bikes when the motion of autos is blocked for lengthy intervals.

“In case the movement of vehicles is blocked for a considerably long period, the Travancore Devaswom Board shall make necessary arrangements for providing ‘chukkuvellam’ and biscuits to pilgrims in such vehicles,” it stated.

It additional directed that when parking grounds at Nilakkal in Pathanamthitta attain the utmost capability, entry of autos must be regulated appropriately by the police.

“The restrictions imposed on the parking of vehicles at Nilakkal parking grounds shall be made known to the pilgrims, through the public address systems at edathavalams,” the bench stated.

Edathavalams are halting factors for pilgrims.

The TDB was additionally directed to make sure that the parking contractor engages ample workers to make sure correct parking of autos.

The courtroom’s instructions got here on three separate pleas initiated by it by itself with one concerning the administration of the digital queue system and the opposite two based mostly on particular person complaints on restrictions on the entry of autos from Nilakkal to Pamba and difficulties confronted by pilgrims at Nilakkal and Pamba within the absence of queue system for the passengers boarding KSRTC buses.

All three had been taken up within the particular sitting in view of the gang administration points confronted on Saturday on the shrine.

Meanwhile, the Congress-led UDF opposition alleged that the Left authorities fully did not be ready for the large footfall anticipated this 12 months at Sabarimala.

Leader of Opposition within the state meeting V D Satheesan alleged that the state authorities and the TDB failed to understand that variety of pilgrims would enhance post-COVID. He stated that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the ministers involved ought to go to Sabarimala to take inventory of the state of affairs and problem obligatory instructions. Satheesan additionally advised {that a} accountable minister be given full management over what is going on on the temple until the pilgrimage season will get over.

The Mandala puja pageant will conclude on December 27. Thereafter, the temple will likely be opened once more on December 30 for the Makaravilakku pilgrimage, which can finish on January 14, 2023.

The shrine will likely be closed on January 20, 2023, concluding the pilgrimage season.