KOCHI: High Court has urged maximum utilization of the parking facility at Nilakkal to manage the crowd influx at Sabarimala. The court emphasized that the 8,000-vehicle parking stand should be fully utilized, following reports of underutilization. Justices Anil K Narendran and G Girish of the Division Bench made this recommendation.

The Court summoned affidavits from the Devaswom Board and the Pathanamthitta SP regarding the Nilakkal parking situation. Additionally, the District Collectors of Kottayam and Idukki have been included in the proceedings. To streamline vehicle entry, the Court suggested allowing access to private grounds only after the Erumeli Temple parking facility reaches full capacity. This move comes as the temple grounds provide essential facilities including food offerings.

Recent footfall figures revealed a substantial influx, with over one lakh visitors on January 2. The Virtual queue platform recorded more than 80,000 bookings and 10,000 on-the-spot reservations on Wednesday. However, both the government and the Devaswom Board sought time to furnish explanations regarding the provision of facilities for the Makarajyothi darshan at the viewpoint.

Furthermore, the government announced the introduction of a second platform to exempt FASTag parking fees at Nilakkal aiming to ease congestion. Authorities are under scrutiny to provide comprehensive explanations on facilities and crowd management at Sabarimala's vantage point.