Sabarimala Season Preparations Intensified: October 31 Deadline for PWD Works; Safety, Health, Sanitation, BSNL, Drinking Water, Ambulance and Pilgrim Facilities
Pathanamthitta: Preparations for the upcoming Sabarimala Pilgrimage Season have been intensified, with various departments directed to complete their assigned works within the stipulated time. A review meeting was held at the Gavi Conference Hall at the Pathanamthitta Collectorate under the chairmanship of District Collector Nizamudeen A., IAS.
All Public Works Department (PWD) works related to the Pilgrimage Season have been directed to be completed by October 31. A joint inspection by the Revenue, Police, PWD, Devaswom and KSEB departments will be conducted on November 1 to assess the progress of the works.
The Mannarakulanji–Pampa pilgrimage route will be repaired to ensure better road conditions. Safety measures, including crash guards, reflectors, road markings and signboards, will be installed along the roads. The construction of the Chalakkayam–Pampa road using modern methods will also be expedited.
The Water Authority and BSNL have been directed to complete their works by the first week of October. The Local Self-Government Department will intensify roadside vegetation clearance and strengthen the implementation of the Safe Zone project.
The fitness of buildings at Sannidhanam, Pampa and Nilakkal will be ensured in coordination with the PWD Buildings Division. Necessary basic facilities will also be arranged for officials deployed at these locations. Police facilities, security barricades, CCTV systems, parking grounds and the removal of textile waste at Pampa will be addressed within the stipulated time.
In the healthcare sector, authorities will examine the possibility of establishing a CPR clinic along the Pampa–Sannidhanam route. An off-road ambulance service will be made available at Valiyanavattam, while hospitals will prepare the maximum possible number of beds for the pilgrimage season. Nodal officers from major departments will also be deployed at the Emergency Operations Centre at Pampa.
As part of waste-management measures, repair works at the sewage treatment plants at Pampa and Sannidhanam will be completed, followed by trial runs on November 1. The biogas plant at Sannidhanam will also be made operational. The Suchitwa Mission will take special measures to prevent plastic waste from reaching Sannidhanam.
Authorities have also been directed to ensure clean toilets, scientific disposal of hotel waste and adequate basic facilities at pilgrim rest centres. The functioning of public toilets, including Take-a-Break centres, will also be ensured.
The Water Authority will ensure the proper functioning of drinking-water kiosks, while the Irrigation Department will monitor the water level at Pampa and maintain the bathing ghats. The KSEB will ensure that streetlights are operational at Sannidhanam, Pampa and Nilakkal.
District Police Chief R. Anand, Thiruvalla Sub Collector Parvathy Gopakumar, ADM R. Rajalakshmi, Disaster Management Deputy Collector A. Vijayan, district-level officials and representatives of the Travancore Devaswom Board attended the meeting.