THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The UDF government in Kerala today decided to draw up a safety manual forthe Sabarimala pilgrimage to avoid tragedies like the stampede in January, which claimed 102 lives.The decision was taken at a meeting of officials convened here by state Deveswom (temple affairs) Minister V S Sivakaumar to work out the plans for the annual pilgrimage season starting from November.An estimated 30 million devotees from different parts of the country visit the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa situated in Pathanamthitta district every year.Effective steps would be taken for safe arrival and departure of devotees during the peak season from November to mid-January, Sivakumar said.A queue complex would be built from Samarmkuthi area to Marakkoottam, the final stretch of the trekking path leading to the forest temple, at a cost of Rs 1.3 crore. The first phase of the structure would be built by the temple board itself and the second phase with support from sponsors.The meeting decided to invite tenders for creating a ropeway from the base camp Pampa to the hill-top Sannidhanam, where the shrine is located.The parking ground at Nilakkal would be expanded to facilitate parking of 10,000 vehicles at a time at an estimated cost of Rs 13.9 crore.
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