Due to the large number of pilgrims who had reserved trips to the Sabarimala Temple on Monday. The congested highways leading to the shrine in the Pathanamthitta district since Sunday night, the temple experienced significant traffic.
This is the season’s number of booking for the temple. Bookings have surpassed one lakh for the second time in this season. Due to the rise of Sabarimala pilgrims, police have set up special measures to manage the rush.
What does the administration and government plan to do?
Following an extraordinary rush, it was decided at a meeting on Monday, presided over by the chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, to limit daily visitor numbers at 90,000.
The high court held a special sitting on Sunday and ordered the temple board and police to take the necessary action after a mini-stampede occurred at Marakootum on Saturday that resulted in some pilgrims and police officers suffering minor injuries.
The decision took place at the meeting to increase “darshan” hours by an hour.
The Sabarimala Temple premises, opens at three in the morning, closes at eleven thirty. The temple affairs minister will convene weekly review meetings with the relevant department heads. The CM states that the parking area in Nilakkal, the main base camp, will also expand to accommodate more vehicles.
A bench of Justices Anil K. Narendran and PG Ajithkumar instructed the district collector and the district police chief of Pathanamthitta to develop a crowd management strategy. When the estimated footfall was above 75,000 per day in view of these incidences and the sizable crowd.
The Pilgrimage Season:
On December 27, the 41-day Mandala puja celebration will come to an end. Following that, on December 30, the temple will reopen for the Makaravilakku pilgrimage, which will end on January 14, 2023. On January 20, 2023, the shrine will close, ending the season of pilgrimage.
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