Sabarimala gets major security boost ahead of pilgrimage season

File photo of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple.

The Keralam government has doubled the luggage allowance for police personnel deployed at Sabarimala from ₹300 to ₹600 and raised their daily mess grant to ₹90.

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the government had sanctioned ₹3.60 crore for the measures. He was reviewing the security arrangements for the annual pilgrimage season at the hill temple, which begins next month.

The police have divided the pilgrimage zone into three sectors, namely the Sannidhanam, Pampa and Nilackal. ADGP (Law and Order) P. Vijayan, IPS, has been designated as the nodal officer to coordinate the arrangements.

A new barrack capable of accommodating more than 700 police personnel has been completed at Nilackal as part of the Sabarimala master plan. Facilities, including mess arrangements, have also been expanded to cater to the nearly 1,750 personnel to be deployed there.

An artificial intelligence-based smart parking system will be introduced at Nilackal to streamline vehicle management. The government has allocated ₹3 crore for the project.

Another ₹13 lakh has been earmarked for a wrist-tag initiative to help prevent children accompanying pilgrims, particularly those arriving from other States, from getting separated from their families in the crowds. The tags will also help officials identify the children and reunite them with their families.

Temporary police stations will be set up at the Sannidhanam, Nilackal and Vadaserikkara to maintain law and order during the pilgrimage season. A proposal to establish a permanent police station at Vadaserikkara is also under the government’s active consideration.

The police patrolling will be intensified along the main traditional trekking routes and at transit points. Anti-sabotage checks, crowd-management barricades, CCTV surveillance and enhanced intelligence monitoring will form part of the security arrangements.

State Police Chief Ravada Chandrasekhar, ADGP (Law and Order) P. Vijayan, ADGP (Intelligence) Dinendra Kashyap, South Zone IG P. Prakash, Pathanamthitta District Collector A. Nizamudeen and Devaswom Board president K. Jayakumar were among those present. Senior officials from Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Kottayam and Alappuzha districts also attended.

Meanwhile, the Poonkavanam region around the Sabarimala temple has been declared a prohibited zone for the sale and consumption of liquor, narcotic substances and tobacco products from November 15 to January 20, 2027. The ban covers several areas in Perunad village of Ranni taluk, including Chalakayam, Pampa, Thriveni, Karimala, Neelimala, Sabaripitham, Marakoottam, Sannidhanam and Nilackal. It also extends to Pampavalley in Kollamula village, excluding Arayanjilimann.

Temporary excise range offices have started functioning at the Sannidhanam, Pampa and Nilackal. A control room headed by an Assistant Excise Commissioner will begin operating at Pampa on November 15.

The Excise, Police and Forest departments have launched joint inspections and raids in Pampa and adjoining areas. Warning boards announcing the ban have been installed in multiple languages across the Poonkavanam region.

The Excise department will conduct round-the-clock vehicle checks along the Mannarakulanji-Pampa stretch. Two striking units have also been deployed at different locations in the district to intensify enforcement.