The maintenance of major roads leading to Sabarimala will be completed in a time-bound manner ahead of the two-month-long annual pilgrimage to the Lord Ayyappa temple, Public Works Department Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas has said.
Addressing the media after a review meeting at Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, the Minister said the department had identified 19 roads and classified them into various categories to carry out the maintenance works.
The work on each road that was assigned to various officials in the department would be completed before October 15. The Minister would take a road trip on October 19 and 20 to assess the quality of the works conducted. If the condition of the roads was found not satisfactory, strict action would be initiated against the officials responsible for the upkeep of the roads, said Mr. Riyas.
The PWD chief engineer was also directed to take a road trip to review the progress of the works on October 5. The Minister also said delaying road construction on technicalities would not be accepted under no circumstances except in situations like unforeseen climate issues. As the COVID-19 restrictions had been lifted, a huge turnout of pilgrims was expected at Sabarimala this time during the Mandala-Makaravilakku festival season, said the Minister.
The department had decided to introduce online booking in the Sabarimala Sathram rest house managed by the department ahead of the season, he said. The upkeep of dormitories, rest houses, and other buildings owned by the PWD in Sabarimala, would also be completed in a time-bound manner ahead of the season, assured the Minister.
The rest houses at Erumeli and Sabarimala Sannidhanam would be inaugurated on October 19. The meeting also decided to hold another round of review meeting in Pathanamthitta in October.
