Curbing the risk of the stampede is foremost in the mind of law enforcers as they brace themselves to regulate the massive crowds expected to arrive at Sabarimala to witness Makaravilakku on January 14.
Additional Director General of Police Manoj Abraham, joint coordinator, Sabarimala, told The Hindu that an estimated 18 lakh devotees had witnessed the event in 2018. The footfall this year could match that of previous seasons or be higher than last time.
Officers say various viewing points and buildings at Sabarimala are not designed to accommodate large crowd surges characteristic of Makaravilakku evening. The tragic stampede which claimed 25 lives during Makaravilakku at Pulmedu in Sabarimala in 2011 remained a constant reminder of the latent dangers dense crowds could pose once panic sets in. Hence, the police would allow groups to gather only at demarcated viewing points, which they would illuminate with portable and inflatable emergency lights.
An officer says the outflow of devotees, which is often brisk and results in panic, would be controlled and slowed down reasonably with the use of barricades, segregated pathways and public address systems.
Intense jostling often separates families and desperate searches for children and relatives are a common cause for panic during Makaravilakku night. Hence, the police have put in place a system to detect, identify and reunite separated and lost pilgrims with their respective groups.
The police are also focussed on preventing traffic snarl-ups, given the limited parking at Nilackal, the base camp beyond which no private vehicles are allowed to Pampa.
Nilackal could accommodate only 7,500 vehicles, and the floods had washed away the expansive parking lots in Pampa. Last year an estimated 19,000 cars had arrived at Sabarimala for Makaravilakku. The police expect a comparable number this year.
They say that they would progressively stop vehicles at Erumely, Elavankal, Laha and Vadasserikara as parking lots filled up. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation would operate chain services from these points to mitigate the inconvenience caused to devotees.