More restrictions in Sabarimala; spot booking reduced to 5000 per day

KOCHI: As part of efforts to control the heavy rush at Sabarimala, the number of spot bookings has been reduced to 5,000 per day. This restriction will remain in place until Monday. The Devaswom Bench issued the directive while considering various petitions related to Sabarimala. Earlier, the High Court had sharply criticised the Devaswom Board for failing to make proper arrangements for the Mandala–Makaravilakku pilgrimage season.

Unrestricted spot booking had led to an uncontrollable crowd at Sabarimala. Following this, the number of spot bookings was first reduced to 20,000. To avoid congestion at the Pampa spot-booking counters, it was also decided to open seven additional counters at Nilakkal. However, the court has now ordered that only 5,000 spot bookings be allowed each day until Monday so that the crowd can be fully brought under control. The directive was issued by Justices A Raja Vijayaraghavan and KV Jayakumar of the Devaswom Bench.

Apart from crowd management issues, there have also been complaints regarding inadequate toilet facilities at Sabarimala. Lashing out at the authorities, the court said, "Police can only control the crowd. There must be a proper system to make scientific decisions. Even children are suffering there, and that must be addressed. If the area cannot accommodate so many people, why allow such large numbers? This kind of rush can lead to serious accidents. We cannot allow devotees to suffocate and die. They come with devotion, and it is the responsibility of the authorities to make proper arrangements. There has been no proper coordination for preparations during this major festival season.”