Sabarimala Devotees Take Note! Spot Booking Cancelled Due to Heavy Rains. Deets Inside

The Sabarimala temple, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, will reopen from Monday evening for the two-month-long Mandala-Makaravilakku festival.

Thiruvananthapuram: In the wake of heavy rainfall warning issued for various districts in Kerala, including Pathanamthitta, a high-level meeting, held by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, has decided to stop spot booking at Sabarimala for three days. Scroll down for more details.

Sabarimala Devotees Take Note! Spot Booking Cancelled Due to Heavy Rains. All You Need to Know

“When the Sabarimala temple reopens, it will be difficult to allow more pilgrims to enter. The Pamba river is turbulent due to heavy rains. The availability of drinking water and bathing water is also a cause of concern. So the meeting decided to limit the number of people to Sabarimala in the next three to four days. Pampa bathing is not allowed as the water level is dangerous. Spot booking will be temporarily stopped. The government is considering to change the date for those booked via a virtual queue to control the number of people,” said CM Vijayan.

The Chief Minister said the district collectors could decide whether to give holidays to schools in rain-hit districts.

“Special attention should be taken of those living in relief camps. People’s representatives, local government representatives and officials should pay special attention to the cleanliness of the camps. Food availability and screening system should be ensured,” said CM while speaking at a meeting of officials, including district collectors, convened to discuss issues related to heavy rains.

The Red Alert has been declared in Ernakulam, Idukki and Thrissur districts. Kaki and Idukki dams have been opened. Monitoring has been intensified in various dams managed by the electricity and water departments.

“There have been seven landslides since November 10. People should be relocated to camps from landslide-prone areas. Fishing has been banned and a warning has been issued. Police and fire department officials are ready to deal with any sort of emergency,” said the CM.

The Sabarimala temple, dedicated to Lord Ayyappa, will reopen from Monday evening for the two-month-long Mandala-Makaravilakku festival. The devotees will be allowed for obeisance from Tuesday onwards.

“At the state level, special meetings were convened in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Idukki districts to coordinate the activities. The health department officials are being deployed at treatment centres from Pamba to Sannidhanam,” health minister Veena George was quoted as saying by ANI on Sunday.

“The services of expert doctors from medical colleges are ensured in Pamba and Sannidhanam. These centres will be operational from Monday,” George added.

(With agency inputs)