Indian Army will construct two Bailey bridges across the Pampa river in the foothills of Sabarimala, linking the Pampa hilltop and the Ganapati temple premises, Minister for Devaswoms and Tourism Kadakampally Surendran has said.
An Army team led by Major Ashish Upadhyaya reached Pampa on Friday. Mr. Upadhyaya, accompanied by District Police Chief T. Narayanan and TDB Chief Engineer V. Sankaran Potti, inspected the Pampa riverbanks and the hilltop.
Mr. Surendran has entrusted Devaswom Secretary K.R. Jyothilal with the job of holding talks with the Indian Army Headquarters and the Defence Secretary for constructing the bridges as early as possible in place of the ones washed away by the recent floods. According to him, the Army will construct a pedestrian bridge for pilgrims to cross the river and another motorable bridge — 12-metre wide — for emergency services to take vehicles across the Pampa river. The idea is to construct the bridges by September 15. The Army has informed the government that the bridges can be completed in six hours once the materials are transported to Pampa.
Officials attached to the Indian Army, TDB, and the Forest Department will jointly inspect Pampa to identify the most suitable site for the bridges. The Minister, accompanied by Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) authorities and government officials, took stock of the situation at Pampa.
River to be restored
Mr. Surendran said the Pampa river would be fully restored to its earlier condition and the entire earth deposits in the river in the foothills of Sabarimala would be removed.
Henceforth, no permanent constructions would be permitted along the riverbanks at Pampa. Only makeshift structures would be permitted at Pampa for commercial purposes and these could be removed immediately after the annual pilgrimage season, he said.