Sabarimala crowd control: Police to push virtual queue in four states

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said an extensive police arrangement would be put in place to ensure the safety and convenience of Sabarimala pilgrims. He said awareness campaigns would be conducted in neighbouring states to encourage Sabarimala pilgrims to make maximum use of the virtual queue system to regulate the crowd. The Director General of Police will issue notices to the police chiefs of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka in this regard. News releases will be issued in regional languages, while signboards and public announcement systems will be installed at key locations. The decisions were taken at a high-level meeting held at the Secretariat to review police preparations for the Sabarimala pilgrimage.

Chennithala directed police personnel to behave in a friendly and empathetic manner towards pilgrims. The Rapid Action Force and Fire and Rescue Force will be deployed to deal with emergency situations. Mock tests will be conducted to ensure that fire hydrants along major routes, including Marakkoottam, are functional. Parking facilities at Nilakkal will be made more efficient. At Chakupalam, soil will be removed to create space for parking an additional 400 to 500 vehicles. The fitness and speed of vehicles carrying pilgrims will be strictly checked.

CCTV surveillance at Sannidhanam, Pampa and Nilakkal will be linked to the police control room. Security arrangements will be put in place at the Kunnar Dam, the water tank at Pandithavalam and LPG cylinder storage centres. Police verification will be made mandatory for employees of commercial establishments at Sannidhanam and Pampa. The disposal of clothes in the Pampa river will be strictly prevented.

The minister also directed that quality food, hygienic accommodation and drinking water be ensured for police personnel deployed for Sabarimala duty. Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan, Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department Minhaj Alam, Police Chief Revada Chandrasekhar and Sabarimala Chief Police Coordinator P. Vijayan were among those who attended the meeting.