World | India
Kerala eyes cleaner Sabarimala season
A clean-up drive is among the top priorities as Kerala's Pathanamthitta district gets set for another pilgrimage season that is expected to witness millions of pilgrims throng the Sabarimala temple in the hilly district.
- By Akhel Mathew, Correspondent
- Published: 00:02 October 1, 2008
Thiruvananthapuram: A clean-up drive is among the top priorities as Kerala's Pathanamthitta district gets set for another pilgrimage season that is expected to witness millions of pilgrims throng the Sabarimala temple in the hilly district.
A meeting of local body authorities convened by the state authorities this week laid stress on the arrangements to be made for cleaning and sanitation at various base camps of the temple for the pilgrims who will begin trickling in from today, for the pilgrimage that peaks in early January.
Base camp cleanliness
Kerala minister for local self-government, Paloli Mohammad Kutty has directed local self government institutions to ensure that arrangements for waste disposal and sanitation are in order at the base camps under their respective jurisdictions. The Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage is scheduled to begin from November 16.
As regards funding, towards sanitation works to be carried out at the pilgrim base camps, the state government has sanctioned Rs1 million (Dh80,000) each to the panchayats of Pandalam, Ranni-Perinad, and Erumely. There is a likelihood of more panchayats being sanctioned assistance.
Ban on plastic
This pilgrimage season the authorities would also be looking to ensure an effective ban on plastics.
There have been directives for this in the past, but the forests surrounding Sabarimala, the roadside and even the brooks that flow in the area have all been littered with plastic waste on previous pilgrimages.
Minister Mohammad Kutty has suggested that the panchayats take up the plastic waste disposal exercise as a continuing programme, even after completion of the pilgrimage season.
Terror threat
Authorities also have to deal with the terror angle, given intelligence reports about terrorists likely to target the Sabarimala temple. Police are likely to have X-ray machines and closed-circuit cameras at strategic locations, without causing inconvenience to the pilgrims.
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