No Unnecessary Restrictions on Ayyappa Devotees in Erumeli During Pilgrimage Season; More Virtual Queue Slots Under Consideration
Erumeli: Sabarimala Special Commissioner R. Jayakrishnan has directed the police to ensure that Ayyappa devotees are not detained or made to wait unnecessarily in Erumeli in the name of crowd-control restrictions during the upcoming pilgrimage season.
He was speaking after inspecting the preparations in Erumeli ahead of the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season. Members of the Ayyappa Seva Sangham brought the issue of police restrictions and the difficulties faced by pilgrims to his attention.
Jayakrishnan said that the practice of stopping and holding devotees in Erumeli must not be repeated this season under any circumstances. He directed the police to make adequate arrangements to ensure smooth darshan without causing inconvenience to pilgrims.
He also instructed the concerned officials to complete all necessary preparations and pending repair works urgently, stressing that no arrangements should obstruct the movement of Ayyappa devotees.
The Special Commissioner further directed officials to make the auditorium and rest centre at Valiyambalam operational. The facility was constructed using Rs 14 crore in KIIFB funding.
He also said that the possibility of allocating additional Virtual Queue spot-booking slots in Erumeli would be considered to facilitate pilgrims.