The Hindu : Front Page : Forest officials told not to create hurdles

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Sunday, Nov 04, 2007
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Forest officials told not to create hurdles

Staff Reporter

Ministers review arrangements for the coming Sabarimala pilgrim season

Evaluation: Devaswom Minister G. Sudhakaran, accompanied by Public Works Minister Mons Joseph and Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran, reviewing the arrangements being made for the annual Sabarimala festival at a meeting at Pampa on Saturday.

PATHANAMTHITTA: Devaswom Minister G. Sudhakaran has said that forest officials are not supposed to create hurdles to various projects cleared by the government aimed at providing basic facilities to Sabarimala pilgrims.

Mr. Sudhakaran, accompanied by Public Works Minister Mons Joseph and Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran, was addressing a meeting of various department heads and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) authorities at Pampa on Saturday.

The Minister said the forest and TDB officials were behaving like rivals at Sabarimala.

He said the Forest Department officials stalling the work on projects to provide basic facility for pilgrims by raising technical objections, without even consulting the high power committee that dealt with inter-departmental issues, was deplorable.

Mr. Sudhakaran said officials taking decisions in such matters without even consulting the government or the department was not at all a healthy trend. He said a co-ordinated effort was needed at Sabarimala.

He said officials should not forget that they were very well part of the government.

Prohibition

The Minister said the government would take steps to enforce prohibition at Sabarimala and Pampa on a permanent basis. Mr. Joseph said he would inspect the 17 major roads leading to Sabarimala on November 13. Mr. Premachandran said the work on all the permanent check dams at Pampa and Kakki rivers as part of the Pampa Action Plan would be completed by November 10.

This would facilitate periodic flushing of filth from the Triveni bathing ghats, he added.

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