AnHF the same is Sabarilam Ayyappa met at Satureth. | Photo Credit: LET LET AMO
With the crowd situation at Sabarimala fully under control, a meeting convened by Devaswom Minister VN Vasavan on Saturday decided to increase the seat reservation limit based on daily crowd flow.
In the meeting, which was attended by Devaswom department secretary MG Rajamanickam, it was also decided to address the deficiencies in the existing mob arrangement. Currently, an average of 70 pilgrims ascend the 18 holy steps every minute. This will increase to 85 allowing more devotees to have darshan. Additional experienced police personnel will be deployed at this location to speed up the movement of pilgrims.
The meeting further directed that a joint day-long review session must be held at the Sannidhanam led by Additional District Magistrate Sabarimala and attended by representatives of the Travancore Devaswom Board, Police, Health, Fire and Rescue Services, Forests, Water Boards and PWDs. Matters raised in these meetings must be resolved quickly. Similar review sessions will also be held regularly at Pampa and Nilackal.
Meanwhile, the TDB will take a final decision to fix the timing of darshan at the Sannidhanam after due consultation.
The health department has been directed to set up an echo facility at Sannidhanam Health Centre. The meeting also called for strengthening coordination between police teams operating in Sannidhanam, Pampa and Nilackal. The integrated control room in Pampa will be streamlined.
Immediate steps will be taken to ensure full utilization of parking facilities at Nilackal. Large LED display walls will be set up at Pampa and Nilackal to provide timely information to the pilgrims.
More staff will be deployed quickly to ensure 24/7 toilet cleaning. Supervisors will be appointed to monitor this. The number of bio-toilets will be increased and the supply of drinking water will be strengthened with the deployment of additional personnel for this purpose.
Problems related to the operation of the dolly service will be solved. Sufficient lighting and drinking water will be provided along the forest route. Necessary arrangements will be made in Erumely and a special review meeting is scheduled for November 27.
The quality of food provided to officials on duty will improve. The TDB, meanwhile, was directed to provide ₹20 crore in advance to the police as per usual practice.
Health checks will be mandatory for hotel staff at Sannidhanam and health cards will be issued immediately. As part of security measures, the Fire and Rescue Service was instructed to conduct preventive inspections in all hotels. The meeting also highlighted the need for better coordination between the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation and the police.
TDB President K. Jayakumar attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, a Rapid Action Force (RAF) team took charge at Sannidhanam on Saturday. A 140-member unit headed by a Deputy Commandant was stationed at Sannidhanam and Marakkoottam. It will operate in three shifts of 32 people, supported by a 10-member rapid response team that is on standby 24 hours a day to deal with emergencies.
According to estimates, over five million pilgrims have visited Sabarimala so far. As of 7 pm on November 21, a total of 4,94,151 pilgrims had arrived. On November 21 alone, 72,037 devotees had darshan by 7:00 p.m. KSRTC’s daily income from Nilakkal–Pampa chain services has increased to ₹60 lakh due to increase in pilgrim arrivals.
Published – 22 Nov 2025 19:07 IST
