With the annual pilgrimage season in Sabarimala only a month away, the State Government has made elaborate arrangements to ensure a safe ‘darshan’ for pilgrims in the wake of the pandemic, Devaswom Minister K. Radhakrishnan told the state Assembly. This year’s pilgrimage season will begin on November 16.
All basic facilities for the pilgrimage, adhering to social distancing norms as per government guidelines, are ready at the Ayyappa temple and its premises, he said.
Hospital facilities
A joint action plan of the Health and Revenue Departments has been drawn up to address issues such as hospital facilities at Pampa and Erumeli, and arrangements for the RT-PCR test, he said during the question hour. “However, the government is yet to decide on the number of pilgrims to be permitted for darshan and on relaxing the guidelines,” he said.
Review meetings of the departments and the devaswom board had been held as part of the preparations. Problems pertaining to transportation facilities, drinking water, food, and toilets had been discussed in these meetings, he added.
After the pandemic outbreak, the government had imposed strict restrictions on Sabarimala pilgrims. The number of pilgrims was regulated last season, which otherwise used to witness lakhs of devotees from various parts of the country.
