Pathanamthitta (Keralam) | Keralam has put in place extensive arrangements to ensure the safety of Sabarimala pilgrims and the welfare of police personnel during the annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, Minister Ramesh Chennithala said on Saturday.
The government was implementing various measures to ensure complete security and better facilities for pilgrims during the season, which will continue until January 20, 2027, he said.
He was speaking after inaugurating a newly constructed police barrack at Nilakkal.
The police have divided the pilgrimage area into three major zones—Sannidhanam (the temple complex), Pampa and Nilakkal—for effective management of security arrangements. ADGP (Law and Order) P Vijay will function as the nodal officer, the state Home minister said.
Constructed as part of the Sabarimala master plan, the new barrack at Nilakkal can accommodate more than 700 police personnel, he said. Mess facilities at Nilakkal have been expanded to serve around 1,750 personnel deployed there.
The luggage allowance for police personnel has been doubled from Rs 300 to Rs 600, and the daily mess grant has been raised to Rs 90. The state government has sanctioned Rs 3.60 crore for these measures, the minister said.
An Artificial Intelligence-based ‘smart parking’ facility will be introduced at Nilakkal to regulate vehicle parking, for which Rs 3 crore has been allocated.
Rs 13 lakh has been earmarked for a wrist-tag initiative to help identify and reunite children who get separated from their parents in the rush. The facility is aimed particularly at children of pilgrims arriving from other states.
Temporary police stations will be set up at Sannidhanam, Nilakkal and Vadaserikkara to maintain law and order during the season. A proposal to set up a permanent police station at Vadaserikkara is under the government’s active consideration, he said.
Security arrangements include intensified patrolling along major traditional routes and at pilgrim halting points, anti-sabotage checks, crowd-management barricades, CCTV surveillance and enhanced intelligence monitoring.
The minister said the Travancore Devaswom Board, the government and the police would work together to ensure a safe pilgrimage that gives devotees a spiritual experience.
The 41-day Mandalam phase of the pilgrimage begins on November 17.