Ahead of new festival season, KSEB suggests technical committee for pilgrim safety at Sabarimala temple

Kochi, Aug 22 (IANS) The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), on Friday, submitted before the Kerala High Court a proposal to constitute a technical committee for pilgrim safety at the famed Sabarimala temple.

This was in response to a suo motu proceedings initiated after the recent death of a pilgrim by electrocution near a water kiosk maintained by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA).

The Sabarimala temple, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, located in Pathanamthitta district amid the Western Ghats is known for its strict traditions and lakhs of devotees visit the temple every year during the two-month-long festival season.

A division bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K.V. Jayakumar heard the matter.

The KSEB, in its report, detailed the safety steps already undertaken and suggested the formation of a committee with representatives from the Forest Department, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), and other key stakeholders.

The committee, it said, would work on devising a coordinated safety plan to protect pilgrims during the annual more than two-month-long Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, which opens every year on the first day of November according to the Malayalam calendar and ends in the middle of January.

Earlier, the High Court had directed both the KSEB and KWA to conduct thorough inspections of their facilities and implement safeguards to prevent a repeat of the tragedy.

The Court had also asked the KWA and the TDB to file reports on the preventive measures adopted.

The TDB has since filed an affidavit listing detailed steps to be undertaken to avoid recurrence of such accidents.

The court observed that these measures, once implemented, would bring greater clarity and enhance overall safety at the hill shrine.

The counsel for the TDB assured that compliance with the affidavit would be ensured before November 16, the start of the pilgrimage season.

Similarly, the counsel for the Devaswom Board confirmed that all precautionary measures would be completed by the same deadline.

The senior government pleader and the TDB's counsel also suggested that a joint inspection by KSEB, TDB, and KWA be carried out at the earliest, with findings submitted without delay.

Directing that a consolidated report on inspections and preventive steps be placed before it, the court posted the matter to Wednesday.

--IANS

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