Kerala Government scrambles to defend Opposition criticism that it has abandoned Sabarimala pilgrims
The Hindu
Kerala Government scrambles to mitigate Sabarimala rush. TDB extends darshan time, limits spot booking, institutes separate queue for women and children. Government orders police to streamline parking, recruit volunteers. Opposition parties criticise govt for failed crowd and traffic management. Union Minister blames CPI(M) for sabotaging pilgrimage. KPCC president blames police for failed law and order.
The Kerala Government appeared to scramble on December 12 (Tuesday) to fend off Opposition criticism that the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) administration had dismally failed to ensure the smooth conduct of the Sabarimala pilgrimage.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired a special meeting in Idukki to mitigate the rush at Sabarimala.
A press release issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that the daily footfall of pilgrims vaulted from 62,000 to 88,000. Given the massive rush of devotees, the TDB has extended darshan time by an hour.
The government also ordered the TDB to limit spot booking. The meeting said advance online booking would help the police predict pilgrim numbers for better crowd and traffic management.
The TDB also instituted a separate queue for women and children. The government also ordered the police to streamline parking at Nilackal and regulate devotees’ trekking to the hill shrine through forest routes. It asked the TDB to recruit volunteers to assist pilgrims and help the police control the crowd.
The administration dismissed demands for the TDB president’s resignation and said some vested political interests were promoting misinformation to deter devotees from coming to Sabarimala.
It also stressed the need to keep Sabarimala litter- and waste-free by deploying more health squads that work round the clock.
With increased terminal entry points (eGates) at Mumbai International airport from 24 to 68, which is the highest number of e-gates at kerbside or landside in the country, the expansion will enhance the airport’s processing capacity to an astounding 7,440 passengers per hour at Terminal 2 (T2) and 2,160 at T1