Kerala   

Heavy rush continues at Sabarimala temple

SEA OF HUMANITY: Pilgrims waiting on the steps leading to Ganapathi Temple at Pampa on the Neelimala trekking path on Saturday afternoon.

PAMBA (Sabarimala): There was heavy rush of pilgrims at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam on Saturday.

The crowds had to wait for hours on the trekking path and at Pampa in the foothills of Sabarimala, as the police blocked them at different points to regulate the flow of pilgrims.

The flow of pilgrims was regulated at Pampa, Sabaripeetom, Marakkottom and Saramkuthi on the Pampa-Sannidhanam trekking path. Those arriving through the Uppupara-Pulmedu route were blocked at Pandithavalom in the upper reaches of the Sannidhanam.

The queue of pilgrims on the Sannidhanam path extended beyond Sabaripeetom, three km. from the Ayyappa temple.

Though the personnel of the National Disaster Response Force deployed at Marakkoottom, Valiyanadappanthal and on the trekking path have been doing a good job in scientifically managing the crowd, the police force appears to have taken a back foot in crowd management, especially at Marakkoottom.

The poor crowd management by the police is said to be due to deployment of inexperienced personnel at certain key points like Marakkootom.

A.K. Venugopal, Additional Inspector-General of Police attached to the public grievances cell, assumed charge as Police Special Officer at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam on Saturday.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Vehicle surveillance system near Pampa
No plan to expand UDF: Thankachan
On the stage, and off it
2,557 houses for Adivasis at Aralam
Cooperative sector’s credit crunch
Queens Habitats’ grand New Year offer
Today at Sabarimala
Addressing the crowd
Heavy rush continues at Sabarimala temple
State cannot always support PSUs: Karim
NCP entry a closed chapter: Chennithala
ringside view
Clarion call

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu