A three-member high-level monitoring committee on Sabarimala, appointed by the Kerala High Court, visited the pilgrim base camps at Nilackal and Pampa on Monday to review the basic amenities there.
The committee members — former High Court judges P.R. Raman and S. Sirijagan, and A. Hemachandran, Director General of Police — inspected the pilgrim facilities at Nilackal.
The team members expressed satisfaction at the basic facilities at Nilackal.
The committee left for Pampa after interacting with the heads of various government agencies at Nilackal.
KSRTC managing director Tomin Thachankary appraised the committee of the need to build a waiting shed for pilgrims at Pampa-Triveni.
Temporary shelter
Devaswom executive engineer R. Ajithkumar told the committee that the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) was ready to erect a temporary pilgrim shelter if the Forest Department provided the land. The committee members said the matter would be taken up at a meeting of departmental heads at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam on Tuesday.
The committee members observed that the stagnant water of the Njunangar stream posed pollution threat at Pampa. They directed the authorities to deepen the bed of the stream to facilitate smooth flow.
The committee suggested that the sand deposits along the 12-km stretch on the banks of the Pampa be removed.
At Pampa
The committee members also inspected facilities at Pampa. Mr. Ajithkumar said the board had provided 60 bio-toilets and 40 bio-urinals at Pampa.
The committee members will visit the Sabarimala Sannidhanam on Tuesday.