Thiruvananthapuram Nov 18 (IANS) Senior Congress leaders KC Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala, and former Kerala BJP president K. Surendran slammed the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government over what they described as a “grave administrative collapse” at Sabarimala, barely days into the annual Mandala season.

While the Congress leaders alleged that the government and Travancore Devaswom Board were so preoccupied with shielding those accused in the gold smuggling case that they neglected critical preparations for the pilgrimage, leading to chaos and hardship for lakhs of Ayyappa devotees, Surendran opined that they chose neglect instead of planning.

AICC general secretary Venugopal said the current “frightening situation,” as acknowledged by Devaswom Board President K. Jayakumar, is a direct consequence of the government’s negligence and mismanagement.

He blamed the authorities for failing to deploy adequate police personnel, crowd control systems, medical support, drinking water, sanitation, and transportation facilities.

Instead, Venugopal alleged, their focus remained on political damage control and “covering up the gold heist.”

Echoing similar sentiments, veteran legislator Chennithala said that within 24 hours of the pilgrimage season opening, the government systems had completely collapsed.

“Thousands of devotees were forced to wait in queues for 15 to 20 hours, with many returning without darshan due to overcrowding and lack of basic amenities,” said Chennithala.

He pointed out that despite over a lakh bookings through the virtual queue system, crowd management arrangements were grossly inadequate.

Even central security forces, traditionally deployed in Sabarimala, were absent this year, he added.

Chennithala further alleged that during the two terms of the Pinarayi Vijayan government, Sabarimala had never witnessed a peaceful pilgrimage.

“First, they damaged the shrine’s sanctity through the women’s entry controversy, then through the gold theft. Now, sheer administrative apathy has pushed pilgrims into danger once again,” he said.

Both Congress leaders called for immediate High Court intervention, demanding the appointment of an expert committee to supervise temple administration.

They also urged the Chief Minister to personally intervene to ensure the safety, dignity, and spiritual rights of lakhs of Ayyappa devotees.

“The Communist rule has pushed Sabarimala into misery. Devotees, including children, are standing for hours in never-ending queues without water or basic facilities such as toilets. The government had enough time but chose to neglect instead of planning. It is a clear human rights violation and gives the impression of deliberate sabotage of the sacred pilgrimage,” said Surendran.

However, new TDB president Jayakumar, after reviewing the situation with top police officials, said they are committed to providing a more pilgrim-friendly experience through better coordination, infrastructure upgrades, and enhanced crowd management.

“Measures have been strengthened to ensure that pilgrims arriving at Pampa can have a smooth and faster darshan without long waiting hours. The crowd flow will be regulated from Nilakkal to prevent congestion. 20 queue complexes are operational between Marakuttam and Saramkuthi, each equipped to accommodate 500 to 600 pilgrims at a time. These complexes have been arranged to offer space for rest along with essential amenities like water and food,” said Jayakumar.

–IANS

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