Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 18 Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Kerala government and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), accusing them of abject administrative failure in managing the Sabarimala pilgrimage season.
Satheesan alleged that just weeks after the gold theft controversy, the authorities have now plunged the pilgrimage itself into disorder, creating what even the Devaswom Board president described as a “frightening situation.”
“Thousands of Ayyappa devotees were forced to remain in queues for 12 to 13 hours, with many returning without completing the pilgrimage. Even those who managed to have darshan could not access the sacred 18 holy steps due to severe crowding. The lack of any traffic regulation or crowd management mechanism inside the nadapanthal left pilgrims stranded, unable to move forward or exit. Basic facilities such as drinking water, rest areas and medical support were reportedly inadequate or entirely missing, exposing what was termed a total collapse of planning,” said Satheesan.
Satheesan accused both the government and the Devaswom Board of irresponsibility in failing to deploy adequate police personnel and administrative staff to handle the massive turnout of devotees.
“It’s really surprising that the government’s claim that the Model Code of Conduct stalled preparations is not acceptable as pilgrimage planning should have begun months earlier, well before the code came into effect,” said Satheesan.
Calling the justification “laughable,” he said that the government was trying to hide behind procedural excuses to cover up its inefficiency.
He further alleged that the same elements that once used Sabarimala development for political campaigns had now left lakhs of Ayyappa devotees in distress.
He also held the former Devaswom Board led by P.S. Prashanth — facing allegations in the gold heist case — equally accountable for the crisis.
“The alarming situation at Sabarimala emerged right from the initial days of the pilgrimage season. Immediate emergency measures to restore order, improve basic amenities and protect the safety of devotees has to take place immediately. The intervention of the Kerala High Court has to be there,” added Satheesan.
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