Kerala: BJP demands spot booking during Sabarimala pilgrimage season

By Aishwarya Nair | First Published Oct 9, 2024, 1:12 PM IST

Kerala BJP State President K. Surendran criticized the government's handling of crowd management at Sabarimala, claiming it exploits devotees and labeling the Devaswom Board a failure. He called for an immediate reversal of the decision favoring online booking and demanded provisions for spot bookings.

Thiruvananthapuram: BJP state president K. Surendran expressed concerns that there appears to be a planned attempt to disrupt the Sabarimala pilgrimage. He criticized the decision to allow only online bookings, calling it unscientific, and emphasized the need for provisions for spot bookings. Surendran questioned why the government was reluctant to address this issue despite widespread protests. He pointed out that similar attempts to disrupt the pilgrimage occurred during the first Pinarayi government, which were masked by a Supreme Court order.

Sabarimala pilgrimage: Govt mandates online booking for darshan; entry limited to 80,000

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There are capable officials in place to manage the crowds at Sabarimala, but the government’s overall decision seems to exploit the devotees. K. Surendran described the Devaswom Board as a complete failure and called for an immediate reversal of the decision. He emphasized the need for provisions for spot bookings and warned that the BJP would support the devotees' protests if this issue isn't addressed. Surendran questioned why the Devaswom minister was acting arrogantly in this situation.

Ahead of the Sabarimala Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, the Kerala government has decided to allow pilgrims through only online booking this time. Facilities will be provided to allow a maximum of 80,000 devotees per day. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan chaired the review meeting where the decision was made.

With the introduction of spot booking, the number of pilgrims exceeded expectations, leading to challenges in crowd management. As a result, the government has decided to eliminate spot booking to control congestion.

"This time, there won't be any place reservations at Sabarimala. We'll investigate if pilgrims arrive without reservations. Nilakkal and Erumeli have added parking spaces," according to Devaswom Minister VN Vasavan.

Unlike last year, where spot booking was allowed for unregistered pilgrims, this year online booking is mandatory. More than a lakh pilgrims had thronged at some points last year, prompting the decision to make the entire booking process online.

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