The Hindu : Kerala News : Central team inspects Sabarimala

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 27, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Central team inspects Sabarimala

By Our Staff Reporter

PATHANAMTHITTA, JULY 26. A three-member Central team led by the Secretary to the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment, Pradopto Ghosh, visited Pampa and Sabarimala today, to collect "first-person information on the core issues facing the pilgrims at Sabarimala, the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) and the River Pampa.''

Mr. Ghosh told The Hindu that his visit was on the basis of the recommendations of the previous Public Accounts Committee chaired by Buta Singh on the pilgrim facilities at Sabarimala and also on the proposal to implement certain pollution control projects in the Pampa River at Sabarimala as part of the proposed Pampa Action Plan (PAP).

Mr. Ghosh said the allotment of forest land or according sanction to any agency for construction activity in the Project Tiger area was a complex issue. ``We are here to understand the issues relating to the shrine, problems faced by the pilgrims in the forest patch and to look into various possibilities to sort out the issues.''

Supreme Court order

The Supreme Court order strictly banned any sort of non-forest activity in the PTR. Sabarimala is situated in the PTR, making difficult the Central sanction for allotment of forest land to provide more pilgrim facilities there.

The Central team had visited Pampa and Sannidhanam before holding discussions with the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president, N. Babu, Board officials and the senior officials attached to the Forest Department, Water Resources Department and the State Pollution Control Board at the Devaswon Guest House at Pampa in the afternoon.

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