Sabarimala pilgrimage breathes new life into crisis-hit State carrier

PATHANAMTHITTA

Clad in the ubiquitous black and carrying Irumudikettu on their head, they have breathed a new life into the crisis–hit Kerala State Transport Corporation (KSRTC).

With the annual pilgrimage season in Sabarimala just completing its first two weeks, the State carrier has clocked a record income of ₹6.79 crore from its Sabarimala special services. The agency, which currently operates 171 buses in the Pampa-Nilackal sector, besides 40 buses from other centres, has so far conducted 21,320 trips to and for Pampa, the base station of Sabarimala.

The number of daily services, meanwhile, has grown from 531 on the first day to 2,105 on November 29. Besides the chain services, the corporation is also operating direct services to Pampa from five centres including Chengannur, Kottayam and Thiruvanathapuram.

The latest figures, according to KSRTC officials, mark a quantum jump over the numbers clocked during the 2018- 2019 season, when the overall income stood around ₹30 crore.

“The biggest single day collection of ₹75.52 lakh was reported on November 27, followed by ₹69.75 lakh reported on November 29. The previous best figures for a single day till this season was ₹68 lakh as reported in 2018-2019,” said Shibu Kumar, KSRTC special officer, Sabarimala.

The ticket counters at Nilackal have witnessed long, winding queues of pilgrims throughout the season, prompting the authorities to augment the frequency of services from other centres. Of the 40 services from other centres, as many as 18 are on the inter-State route such as Coimbatore and Thenkasi and plans are afoot to launch services to other destinations including Chennai and Theni, based on requirement.

“We are having a really tough time in managing the rush as the arrival of devotees in the season has been well beyond the expected levels. If the influx continues unceasing, we will be forced to operate additional services by diverting buses in between their normal schedules,” the official added.