Tribals to provide pilgrim facilities at Sabarimala

By Our Staff Reporter

PATHANAMTHITTA, JULY 30. The Forest Department is seriously thinking of engaging various tribal groups in the neighbourhood of Sabarimala for providing basic facilities for pilgrims during the next Mandala-Makaravilakku season.

The department had already sent warning signals against the dumping of plastic wastes and encroachment of the reserve forest by shop-keepers at Sannidhanam, Pampa and along the traditional trekking path during the pilgrim season.

The Eco Development Committee (EDC), constituted by the Forest Department under the World Bank scheme in 1998, had reportedly removed not less than four tonne of plastic wastes from the Periyar Tiger Reserve immediately after every Sabarimala pilgrim season.

There were reports that shop-keepers seldom give importance to the conservation of forests in their `race' to earn maximum profit. The wayward activities of shop-keepers said to have already done much damage to the ecology and environment of the Sabarimala forests.

Largescale littering of plastic wastes and other non-degradable materials and felling of trees for erecting temporary sheds were a regular feature at Sabarimala.

The EDCs were found effective in checking such non-forestry activities in the PTR since 1998. These committees of local tribal groups had successfully supplied drinking water and food to the pilgrims besides providing them `viris' (accommodation).

According to the Forest Department sources, the EDC scheme helped a lot in improving the life style of the tribal population in the surrounding villages and also to reduce the wildlife casualties in the PTR.

The EDCs also helped in checking the fleecing of pilgrims by shop-keepers at Sabarimala. The department had already proposed to extent the service of these tribal groups to Pampa, Sannidhanam and along the Neelimala trekking path from the next pilgrim season onwards, the sources said.

The department would not allow the TDB to auction any space outside the 60 acres of forest land leased out to the latter. The department is of the view that the TDB auctioning of the wayside space on the Neelimala trekking path for running shops is illegal and it will not permit such operations in future.

The TDB had earned a revenue of Rs. 21 lakhs by way of auctioning along the Neelimala trekking path. It is alleged that the contractors used to sublet these spaces at higher amounts which ultimately lead to the fleecing of the hapless pilgrims by these shop-keepers.

The TDB had reportedly given an undertaking to the department that it would not auction any space along the Neelimala trekking path from this year onwards.

However, the TDB had conducted an auction to run shops along the Neelimala trekking path on May 10, 2000, violating the undertaking given by it to the department.

The Forest Department demolished all the illegal shops on the Neelimala on June 1 after issuing prior notices to the concerned parties asking them to dismantle the `illegal' constructions.

Moreover, the department also registered a case against certain hotel-owners for posing threat to the wildlife as per the Wildlife Protection Act and the case is pending before court.

Meanwhile, four shop-keepers had moved the Kerala High Court against the demolition of shops and the Court in its interim order had directed the department to maintain status-quo.

However, the Forest officials are of the view that the Supreme Court (writ petition-civil No: 202/95) had already maintained that any order facilitating the use of reserve forests and national parks for non-forestry purposes should be considered as stayed at the time of its pronouncement itself.

The fact is that the shop-keepers continue to fleece the pilgrims despite price-monitoring squads and the State Vigilance squads. Many spiritual organisations and religious bodies have come forward with schemes to supply free food to the pilgrims. But, the TDB was not in favour of such moves for reasons best known to it.

There were also allegations that the TDB was not in favour of a Dharmasthala-model free food supply at Sabarimala. This, many believe, is to `help' the shop-keepers.

However, certain TDB quarters were also found apprehensive of the `motive' of several organisations who have come forward to supply free food at Sabarimala. They say that there is enough room for exploitation of the Ayyappa devotees in the name of `bhakthi', if the TDB allowed such free food supply.

But, then why the TDB, which is supposed to stand solely for the welfare of the pilgrims, had not yet taken any effective measures to check the fleecing of the pilgrims?

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