Complete the work on priority before the Sabarimala pilgrimage season, says Kerala Chief Minister

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALAM, September 11, 2026. Chief Minister VD Satheesan, Devaswoms Minister K. Muraleedharan, Travancore Devaswom Board Chairman K. Jayakumar, Ministers PK CP KM Shaji, Other Ministers, PK CP Basheer in Shaji, Other Thiruvananthapuram conducted a review meeting for the preparation of Sabarimala pilgrimage on Friday. PHOTO: NIRMAL HARINDRAN / THE HINDU | Photo credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN

Chief Minister VD Satheesan attended a review meeting ahead of the Sabarimala pilgrimage season on Friday and called for priority completion of preparations before the start of the season. The meeting was attended by Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan, Public Works Minister PK Basheer, Local Government Minister KM Shaji, Transport Minister CP John, Chief Secretary Bishwanath Sinha and other officials.

A common control room involving all the concerned departments should be established in the Sannidhanam. Sanitation drives must be conducted in Pampa, Sabarimala and designated transit camps. Discarded clothing that accumulates in Pampa will be removed immediately. Structural stability of buildings, fire safety systems and electrical safety must be guaranteed, the chief minister said.

He also called for expediting construction work on transit camps directly managed by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). The parking lot must not be overgrown with vegetation. The Devaswom Committee must provide adequate accommodation at Sabarimala for government officials, including police personnel and medical personnel.

Road construction

The Chief Minister also directed that the barricades should not be installed in a manner that poses danger to the devotees. Mr. Muraleedharan said there should be no compromise on the arrangements for the devotees waiting for hours at Sabarimala. Mr. Basheer announced that the Public Works Department will undertake road construction projects worth ₹551 crore. Mr. John said that this time KSRTC will run additional services by leasing 500 buses. Mr. Shaji confirmed that the local government institutions are fully prepared to carry out the tasks, including sanitation activities.

TDB has announced that the capacity of the Aravana manufacturing plant has been increased. It will produce 3.25 thousand containers of Aravana per day. The supply of 70,000 containers will be ready by the beginning of the season. A mechanized system will be introduced for packing Appam. The board also announced an insurance of ₹2,000 in collaboration with LIC for the families of pilgrims who lose their lives during the pilgrimage.

Activities to be digitized

All activities related to the Sabarimala pilgrimage, including room booking, will be digitized this year. Cleaning will be provided in the rented rooms. A food waste processing plant will be established in cooperation with the Suchitwa mission. Toilet cleaning will be made more efficient and 600 new bio-toilets will be installed.

AI camera systems will be installed at various locations in Sabarimala at a cost of ₹3 crore. Five thousand police officers will be deployed during the season. 22 emergency health centers will operate during the season. The water authority has announced that with the commissioning of the new plant at Seethathode, there will be no need to rely on tanker trucks for drinking water in Sabarimala. Indian Railways has announced that 300 additional train services will be operated. At the evaluation meeting, a decision was taken to conduct information campaigns in other states with the aim of reducing the practice of throwing away clothes in the Pampa. The next evaluation meeting will be held in Pampa in October.

Published – 11 Sep 2026 20:32 IST