The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Sabarimala: Hindu Aikya Vedi flays government

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Wednesday, Oct 03, 2007
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Sabarimala: Hindu Aikya Vedi flays government

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Hindu Aikya Vedi State working committee has accused the government of failing to make arrangements to provide basic amenities to Sabarimala pilgrims.

The committee, which met in Kochi on Tuesday, said that only 45 days were left for the pilgrimage and no arrangements have been made to meet the needs of the lakhs of pilgrims expected to converge at the temple this year. Considering the security threat to the temple, the Travancore Devaswom Board should make arrangements to step up the vigil.

Though Rs.36 crore has been sanctioned for the Pamba Action Plan which was announced five years ago, the government has not taken any significant step to clean the river or provide drinking water and bathing facilities to the pilgrims. The roads en route to the temple are in a dilapidated state. While the government has announced that Rs.17.5 crore has been sanctioned for maintenance, the repair works are unlikely to be completed in a time-bound manner.

Though the government was earning around Rs.1,000 crore as tax annually during pilgrimage season, it had been collecting Rs.10 crore from the Board for services provided by various departments during the festival season.

The meeting demanded that the Board repeal the contract awarded to a private company for preparing ‘aravana’ in Sabarimala. The meeting said that the board should withdraw the contract awarded to Shanawaz, proprietor of Elite Food Products in Nooranad, for preparing the prasadam.

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