Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

TDB bans plastic bottles, carry bags in Sabarimala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president C.K. Guptan has said that plastic carry bags and water bottles will not be allowed to be sold in Sabarimala region during the upcoming Mandalapuja-Makaravilakku season.

At a ‘meet-the-press’ programme organised by the Kesari Journalists’ Trust here on Friday, he said this measure was part of the efforts of the TDB to address the pollution problem in Sabarimala region.

The TDB also proposes to maintain an effective awareness campaign during the season discouraging the pilgrims from contributing to the pollution in the region. There will be a mechanism for the daily removal of plastic bottles and other polluting articles discarded along the forest paths by the pilgrims.

He said more latrines would be built at Pampa, Nilackal and Erumely for the pilgrims in the coming season. The plan is to build 700 latrines at Pampa, 400 at Nilackal and 800 at Erumeli.

With the help of the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (PCB), the TDB would install a solid waste disposal plant at Pampa. Freeing Sabarimala from pollution was high on the agenda of the TDB, he said.

“Our focus this season would be on following the same arrangements as in the last year, but with a higher level of efficiency. The new board had come into office only five months back. We have had little time to devise and put in place new arrangements,” Mr. Guptan said.

The TDB was considering a proposal to provide devotees the facility to have ‘darshan’ of Lord Ayyappa over the internet. Mr. Guptan said he was told that such a facility had either been already introduced, or was being introduced in major pilgrim centres such as Tirupathi.

Describing the TDB’s long-term plans, he said that, in his view, the Sabarimala Master Plan (which had to be implemented as part of the conditions attached to the clearance given by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest for releasing fresh tracts of forests for improving the facilities for the pilgrims) should be subjected to public discussion. The TDB was initiating measures to have the master plan completed by 2030. Pampa Action Plan, a project meant to address the problem of pollution in the holy river of Pampa, would be completed by 2010.

He said several big companies, including multi-national ones, had expressed a desire to distribute food free to the pilgrims during the season. He said he was personally of the opinion that the space on either side of the trekking path to the hill shrine being leased out to merchants by the TDB should be entrusted to such companies.

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