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TDB to seek exclusion of Sabarimala from tiger reserve

By Our Staff Reporter

PATHANAMTHITTA Oct. 18. The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president, N. Babu, has said that the board would submit an appeal to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), appointed by the Union Government, seeking the exclusion of the forest patch that houses Sabarimala and surrounding areas from the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR).

Addressing a press conference at the Devaswom Guest House at Sabarimala Sannidhanam today, Dr. Babu said that TDB authorities would appear before the PAC when the latter holds its sitting in Kochi on Monday.

Dr. Babu claimed that the TDB was the custodian of the forest area that houses the Lord Ayyappa shrine as well its surrounding areas even before the promulgation of the Forest Conservation Act. According to him, the `objections' raised by the Forest Department as well as the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment against various development projects to provide basic facilities to the scores of pilgrims at Sabarimala on the ground that it was included the PTR was nothing short of gross injustice to the Ayyappa devotees.

The TDB chief said preparations for the smooth conduct of the ensuing annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku festival season was progressing fast. He said that the paving of granite blocks on the Swami Ayyappan Road would be completed in the three weeks.

Dr. Babu said that the dolly service between Pampa and Marakkootom would be restricted strictly to the Swami Ayyappan Road during the annual pilgrim season with a view to minimise the inconvenience caused by it to the ordinary pilgrims.

He said that the Amritha Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Kochi, would provide free medical care to pilgrims at the Ayyappa Medical Centre at Pampa during the two-month-long pilgrim season.

The TDB Annadanam scheme would be launched at Pampa and Erumeli from the beginning of the pilgrim season.

The board members, Charupara Ravi and D. Sasidharan, the Devaswom Commissioner, S. Ayyappan Nair, the chief engineer, Ravikumar, the public relations officer, Mohan Perinad, and the Sabarimala executive officer, Krishnan Nair, also attended the press meet.

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