Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president Prayar Gopalakrishnan has sought the immediate intervention of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to restart the KSRTC chain service between Kumily and Uppupara, to reach Sabarimala through the Pulmedu route.
Talking to , he said that the request to resume services on the Kumily-Uppupara route, which was closed following the Pulmedu tragedy, is needed in the larger interests of thousands of pilgrims, especially those who come from Tamil Nadu. Gopalakrishnan said he would convince the Chief Minister of the twin advantages of restarting the chain service, thereby saving time and money and reducing the number of fatalities, mainly due to heart ailments, on the trekking path between Pampa and Sabarimala.
The TDB president sought the urgent need for providing potable water and snacks on the 14-km Sathram-Uppupara-Sannidhanam forest route. Except for a small refreshment centre at Uppupara, the pilgrims were forced to go even without water, he said.
On the 14-km trekking path, Prayar sought the intervention of the Chief Minister by allowing the Devaswom or voluntary orgasnisations like Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sangham to set up outlets on the trekking path to supply potable water and snacks to pilgrims.
On the Erumely-Azhutha-Karimala traditional forest route, the TDB president urged the Chief Minister to take immediate measures to provide basic amenities for pilgrims.
But for a free food distribution centre that functions at Karimala, there is no other outlet on the 35-km forest route up to Karimala.
KSRTC Earns Rs 2.77 crore
The KSRTC Pampa depo has earned a revenue of `2.77 crore from the Pampa-Nilackal chain service till December 6. A total of 7,669 chain services were operated during the period. By operating 77 low-floor non-AC buses, a total of 8,30,180 pilgrims traveled in service.
News: New Indian Express
