The Hindu : Kerala News : `Revive panel on Sabarimala master plan'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 11, 2005

Kerala

Kerala

`Revive panel on Sabarimala master plan'

By Radhakrishnan Kuttoor

PATHANAMTHITTA, FEB. 10. The Pandalam Palace Managing Committee (PPMC) has called upon the Government to take urgent steps to revive the committee constituted in 1996 by the A.K. Antony Government for finalising a comprehensive master plan for Sabarimala.

Talking to The Hindu, the Committee president, P.R.V. Raja, said that a meeting convened by Mr. Antony on January 31, 1996, had constituted a committee comprising representatives of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the Pandalam Palace and the Hindu Aikya Vedi to finalise a pragmatic master plan for Sabarimala.

However, no follow-up measures had been initiated by responsible quarters to ensure effective functioning of the Committee in the months that followed for reasons best known to them, he alleged.

Dubious motives alleged

The PPMC president alleged that there was every reason to suspect dubious motives on the part of the Government in appointing a private agency, that too a Delhi-based one, to prepare yet another master plan for Sabarimala, disregarding the 12 earlier ones — the reports of which are in its possession. The Government decision entrusting a Delhi-based agency for the job, reportedly at a cost of Rs. 10 lakhs, amounts to gross misuse of the public exchequer, Mr. Raja alleged.

He alleged that the Government had not even taken the administrative body of the Lord Ayyappa Temple into confidence before taking such a decision. The PPMC chief said that all the major proposals in the draft concept plan submitted by the Delhi-based agency were `repetitions' of the suggestions made in the earlier reports.

The main proposal for introducing a `token system' in line with that of the Tirupati Devasthanam would not be feasible at a pilgrim centre like Sabarimala, considering the custom and traditions of the annual pilgrimage. Mr. Raja called upon the Government to take immediate steps to streamline the Sabarimala temple administration, thereby eliminating corruption and malpractice at the holy hillock. He stressed the need to rectify certain `flaws' found in the rituals at the temple, in consultation with the palace.

Mr. Raja called for setting up a queue complex with proper sanitation, retiring rooms, food and drinking water facilities along the Marakkootom-Sannidhanam stretch before the next pilgrim season.

He said that the temple authorities should introduce a new system for holy darshan at the temple, without affecting the custom and tradition. They should also take care to see that the sentiments of the devotees were not affected while implementing new systems, he said.

River pollution

A large number of the pilgrims are now forced to evade their customary holy dip in river Pampa due to the depletion of water level and high level of pollution. He said that the pollution status of Pampa too was said to have been alarming at its confluence with the Njunangar near Cheriyanavattom due to the unchecked flow of filth from the Sannidhanam. Open defecation on the riverbanks by wayside vendors and pilgrims has added to the pollution.

However, the PCB sources said that the pollution of river Pampa has been controlled to a great extent this year. The sources said that this was because of the daily flushing out of the filth accumulated along the Pampa-Triveni stretch of the river by releasing water from the check dams constructed in the upstream.

Mr. Raja said that the Committee was keen to join hands with the TDB and the Hindu Aikya Vedi to prepare a pilgrim-oriented master plan for Sabarimala.

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