The police had a tough time controlling the throng of pilgrims jostling to get into the queue at the entry point of the barricade leading to the Ayyappa temple premises on the northern side of the Lower Tirumuttom at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam on Saturday.
As per the new arrangements made in the barricade network at the Sannidhanam, the police have been diverting the pilgrim flow to the temple premises through the barricades erected near the queue for Neyyabhishekom ritual from the beginning of the pilgrim season.
However, congestion occurred when a large number of pilgrims jostled one another at the step at the entry point of the barricade leading to the northern gate of the temple. The police found it difficult to manage the situation and Central forces were rushed to the spot to assist the police.
One more barricade has been erected near the step to route the pilgrims through it later in the afternoon.
But the new barricade has narrowed the pilgrims’ passage in front of the Media Centre through which pilgrims returning from Malikappuram pass by and the tractors ply.
The police have launched its Punyam Poonkavanam cleaning programme, in association with various other departments, at Pampa. According to P. Vijayan, Inspector General of Police, who is also the nodal officer of the programme, Pampa and surrounding areas would be cleaned everyday as part of the programme.
Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) member K. Raghavan said the new system facilitating `special darshan’ at the Ayyappa temple for those who offer donation worth ₹1,000 and above for Annadanam turned out to be a big hit. The system was helping the TDB to mobilise more fund for Annadanam, he said. The revenue collection at Sabarimala on the first two days itself had crossed ₹4.34 crore against its previous year’s collection of ₹2.56 crore, he said. He said the darshan at the temple had been extended by opening the temple at 3 a.m. in the morning and at 3.30 p.m.