PATHANAMTHITTA: Amid a rush of pilgrims to Sabarimala, the forest guards are purportedly engaged in other businesses. Many of the illegal hotels along the Sabarimala route are run in secret by forest officials. One of the main hotels is located near the Plappally Forest Station. The hotel has been built on the land owned by the Forest Department adjacent to the forest from the road. Benami hotels of forest officials are also there in Nilakkal.

The Devaswom Board had invited tenders for running hotels from Sannidhanam to Plappally. Although many people approached with tenders for running a hotel in Plappally, it is alleged that the tender was given to forest guards as a result of an understanding made with some officials of the Devaswom Board. The hotel is run by a Thiruvalla native who is a benami of the forest guards.

Sources claim that one hotel does twenty-five thousand rupees worth of business each day. Two forest officers had been stationed at the hotel's cash counter in mufti for the first two weeks.

Four beat forest officers have shares in the hotel, which is run with the tacit approval of top officials of the Ranni Forest Division. The hotel was started by collecting more than one lakh rupees from twenty people, including ten forest guards and watchers.

Dispute after obtaining profit

A dispute broke out among the forest officials, the investors, after the hotel started making huge profits. Following this, some were refunded their deposits. The forest officials withdrew from the cash counter. At present, 10 forest officials are managing it. While seated at the forest station and elsewhere, they look over the hotel's financials.