Efforts to rebuild Sabarimala infra at ‘war footing’
0FFICIALS SAY THEY ARE WORKING OVERTIME TO ENSURE A SMOOTH ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE, DURING WHICH 40MN PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO TREK TO THE SHRINE
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Authorities are working overtime to rebuild damaged infrastructure at Sabarimala temple’s base camp in Kerala to ensure smooth annual three-month pilgrimage to the shrine in November. The base camp on the Pambha river bank is located five km from the shrine atop a hill in Pathanamthitta district.
The floods had cut off the hill shrine.
Pilgrims have to cross a pedes- trian bridge over the river before trekking to the shrine. Slush and uprooted trees had buried the bridge at Triveni. Public works department officials said a thorough inspection was needed before it could be reopened. Gushing flood waters washed away many buildings and uprooted power and communication towers at the base camp.
The temple opens on the first day of every month as per the Malayalam calendar while the annual pilgrimage in November is one of largest religious gathering in the world.
The Travancore Devasom Board (TDB), which manages the temple, expects at least 40 million people to trek to the temple for the pilgrimage this year.
TDB president Padma Kumar said relief workers have built a temporary passage named Ayyapa Sethu across the river by placing stones. He said as of now machines cannot be taken there because of the hilly terrain and damaged infrastructure.
“Our first priority is to restore power and water supply,” he said. “The temple was cut off for over two weeks. We will seek the army’s help to build a bridge. Power and water plants will be restored on a war-footing.”
Kumar said they would ensure eco-friendly constructions in rebuilding the base camp. “We have learnt a lesson. Things would not be the same in Sabarimala. We will not allow big concrete constructions either at base camp or the hilltop,” he said. He added that the temple’s sanctum sanctorum remained safe.
Pambha, Kerala’s third largest river after Bharatapuzha and Periyar, changed course across several stretches in hilly Pathanamthitta from August 15-22. Efforts were on to ensure the 176-km long river regains its original route, which covers a vast area below the temple.