Sabarimala pilgrimage preparations have been intensified with Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan directing departments to complete infrastructure, transport, medical, sanitation and crowd-management works before the Mandala-Makaravilakku season. The government also plans to develop facilities modelled on those at Tirupati after this year’s pilgrimage season.
Satheesan announced the measures after a review and coordination meeting at Pamba on Saturday. The meeting assessed readiness across Sannidhanam, Pamba, Nilackal and other locations used by devotees travelling to the hill shrine. The chief minister directed officials to complete pending works on a “war footing” and asked departmental secretaries to report progress to the government.
Transport capacity and road safety were central to the preparations. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation is arranging 461 buses for Sabarimala pilgrims, while the Motor Vehicles Department will conduct inspections aimed at tightening road safety. The Public Works Department has been instructed to complete the modernisation of the Pamba–Chalakkayam road, for which Rs 15 crore has been sanctioned. Repairs on other roads must be completed within two weeks, according to the directions issued at the meeting.
To manage crowding near Pamba, a German-style shed with a capacity for 6,000 people will be built at Nilackal. Resting-centre facilities will also be expanded. The newly completed police barrack at Nilackal can accommodate 600 personnel, while repairs to the old barrack have been ordered. Barricading along the Marakkoottam–Saramkuthi route must also be ensured to support the movement of pilgrims towards the shrine.
The state will establish 22 medical emergency units during the pilgrimage period. Police and fire force personnel will be deployed under the respective force chiefs for darshan management and security. The Public Works Department buildings wing has been asked to certify the fitness of permanent and temporary structures before they are used.
Waste management has been identified as a priority, particularly at Pamba, where discarded clothing could become a major sanitation problem. The chief minister directed authorities to create a control system for such waste and ordered time-bound waste removal. The Travancore Devaswom Board was asked to clean and prepare 21 parking grounds at Nilackal. Drinking-water distribution will be monitored closely, while local self-government institutions have been asked to provide maximum support to pilgrims.
The Travancore Devaswom Board will remain responsible for offerings and prasad. Its president assured the meeting that there would be no shortage of items such as appam and aravana during the season. The board has also been directed to complete maintenance linked to police facilities, including a tented police aid post at Nilackal, the police messes at Pamba and Sannidhanam, the old police station at Pamba and the station used by the station house officer at Sannidhanam.
The meeting also discussed connectivity between Sabarimala and other temples. Satheesan said the government would provide facilities this season to support hassle-free darshan. After the meeting, he travelled to Sannidhanam to assess preparations there. The government’s immediate focus is the completion and certification of works before the pilgrimage begins, while the larger Tirupati-model facility plan is scheduled for implementation after this year’s season.
