A panel constituted by the state government to study the situation in Sabarimala and make recommendations for the safety and security of pilgrims after 102 people died on January 14, Makara Sankaranti day, has submitted its recommendations.
A panel constituted by the state government to study the situation in Sabarimala and make recommendations for the safety and security of pilgrims after 102 people died on January 14, Makara Sankaranti day, has submitted its recommendations. Energy minister Shobha Karandlaje and Umesh Katti, minister in-charge of Belgaum district, headed the panel which also visited Sabarimala to study the facilities available there.
In her report submitted to the chief minister, Karandlaje said that arrangements for devotees could be made on the lines of the Kumbh Mela at Haridwar, which sees gatherings of over a crore. Lakhs of pilgrims gather for the darshan of Ayyappa Swamy each year in December. Many pilgrims arrive in Kerala from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Karandlaje said that there were several loopholes in the arrangements made for pilgrims. The panel recommended 19 measures to avoid mishaps at the pilgrimage spot. Sabarimala should be declared a national pilgrimage centre, and its development and the security of pilgrims should be taken up along the lines of the Kumbh Mela at Haridwar; roads should be widened, and proper streetlights provided for the pilgrims; arrangements for drinking water and public toilets should be made; the police and intelligence department should be equipped to deal with large crowds; proper medical facilities should be available for pilgrims who travel long distances—these were among the suggestions made by the panel.
The panel suggested that the recommendations be brought to the notice of prime minister Manmohan Singh and Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan. It also recommended of how preparations should begin a month before the pilgrims arrive. There was also a suggestion to start a helpline, and the setting up of teams of medical personnel to tend to the pilgrims. Disaster management ought to be better, the panel recommended, suggesting that ambulances and better first-aid be made available. The panel also wanted digital display boards and public telephone booths along the way for the pilgrims.
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