Sabarimala is a temple where the number of devotees goes up every year. Revenue had also been increasing every year. People from other states, especially from the neighbouring South Indian states, flock to Kerala to visit Sabarimala. This time, the people from Tamil Nadu who came to visit Sabarimala had to go back and complain to their Chief Minister Stalin. They gave the complaints listing the sufferings they experienced here. In their complaints, the devotees mainly pointed out the hardships they suffered because of the long queues, shortage of drinking water, and the bad attitude of the policemen. There was also an unfortunate incident where a girl from Tamil Nadu collapsed and died in Sabarimala. Not only those from Tamil Nadu but also devotees from states like Karnataka and Andhra raised similar complaints. All this was caused by the lapse on the part of the authorities in making necessary preparations in advance of the Mandala season.

This lack of vigilance does not suit Kerala in any way. The government intervened to reduce congestion and increase other facilities in Sabarimala only after news about the plight of devotees came in the media and social media. The government and the Devaswom Board, who give assurances in the High Court that everything will be carried out neatly, tend to forget these assurances when it comes to Sabarimala. We are also seeing various parties misusing Sabarimala for political gain. If the government alone cannot make the necessary arrangements, then political parties can make such preparations by cooperating with voluntary organizations. Political positions should not be an obstacle to it. If that happens, at least the devotees will get water and food without any difficulties.

Lack of coordination between various departments is a recurring event at Sabarimala. Friction often occurs between the police and Devaswom Board employees even over trivial matters. Nonetheless, those who are most affected by this are the devotees. It is the revenue from Sabarimala that sustains the Devaswom Board. The expenses of other Devaswom temples are also met from this revenue. It is the duty of the government to provide suitable facilities at reasonable costs in Sabarimala, which produces this kind of revenue. Devotees are complaining that the government isn't even making enough buses available. Some claim that a 35 percent additional fee is being imposed on the devotees by claiming that special services are being run in addition to ordinary buses during the pilgrimage season.

The latest news from Sabarimala is about a sharp drop in revenue there. After 28 days of the pilgrimage, there has been a decline of 20 crores in revenue compared to the previous year. There is a shortage of about one and a half lakh pilgrims as well. This has affected the Hundi collection and the sale of appam and aravana, which led to a decrease in income. The total revenue so far this year is Rs 134.44 crores. This is against the revenue collection of Rs 154.77 crore last year. The flow of devotees from neighbouring states has declined after a large number of devotees faced hardships due to the heavy congestion felt last week in Sabarimala. Many groups stopped their journey at Pandalam and returned without visiting the Sabarimala temple. The absence of experienced policemen at the 18th step also led to issues in letting in the devotees. Several vehicles were stopped for hours on the forest route where food and water were not available. A large number of devotees had to remain in queue for up to 18 hours to get darshan. The lapse in making the necessary preparations has mainly led to the decline in income. This is a serious lapse on the part of the government.