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Sabarimala: As the crowds to the hill shrine is increasing day by day, the first set of NDRF(National Disaster Response Force) arrives at the Sannidhanam (Area near to the sanctum sanctorum). The 30-member team arrived from the regional response centre in Thrissur today.
Currently, the team is being deployed near the ‘Nadappanthal’ and the area near ‘Sopanam’. At each location 5 members of the NDRF are being deployed to control the devotees who are moving for darshan towards the sanctum sanctorum.
A 38-member team from Chennai is expected to reach today at the Sannidhanam. The team has received seperate training from the CRPF to manage the swelling crowds and to manage other critical situations.
Meanwhile, TDB chairman K Jayakumar has confessed of lapses in the crowd management.
“Yes, the crowds were more than expected and some devotees had to return without darshan which was unfortunate. We will ensure every devotee get darshan”, said K Jayakumar.
Real-time booking at Sabarimala limited to 20,000 per day
A day after nearly two lakh devotees thronged Sabarimala and overwhelmed the crowd management system, the Travancore Devaswom Board and the Kerala Police introduced strict regulations from Wednesday to control the rush.
The decision came after visuals showed devotees tightly packed near the sacred 18 steps, long delays on the Pamba–Sannidhanam route, and complaints about lack of drinking water in the queues.
Officials said real-time booking for darshan has now been limited to 20,000 per day. In addition, the overall entry to Sabarimala will be capped at one lakh pilgrims per day to prevent overcrowding.
Seven new spot-booking counters will open at Nilakkal to prevent crowds from rushing to Pamba for tickets. Devotees arriving in large numbers will be allowed darshan the next day, with overnight facilities arranged at Nilakkal.
Queue complexes along the Marakkoottam–Saramkuthi–Sannidhanam stretch is also being made fully functional. These complexes will provide drinking water, light food and chukku coffee. Authorities clarified that devotees entering these complexes will not lose their place in the queue.
