As the festive season comes to an end in Kerala’s Sabarimala temple, Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran on Tuesday told media that this season has achieved a record income of Rs 255 crore, an increase of Rs 45 crore compared to last year.
The minister also spoke against the common speculation that the Kerala government gets incentives from the revenue collected during the pilgrimage season in Sabarimala. “Now most people are convinced that the state government does not usurp the revenues of Sabrimala. Fact is, the state spends crores during every pilgrimage season. This season alone, the government had spent Rs 38 crore for various construction activities,” said the Minister.
The minister also spoke about a Master Plan that is under work to have better facilities in the temple. The plan would include a waste treatment plant and resting areas along the roads that lead to the temple. The minister also said that some of the projects which are part of the master plan are already done.
The minister said, “Seven works under the Master Plan were already completed. This include the Rs 21.70 crore waste treatment plant that can treat 5 million units of waste, and the Rs 12 crore queue and rest complexes along the Marakottam-Shara-mkuthi road,” reports Deccan Chronicle.
The Devaswom board will also look at the facilities in Tirupathi temple and later decide if the steps taken at the hill temple can be implemented in Sabarimala.
"An expert committee will soon leave for Tirupati. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has offered all possible assistance," the minister said.
Meanwhile the minister also appreciated the efforts taken by the security personnel and the police officers to maintain peace and order during the festival.
The minister said, “Over 3,000 policemen were on duty throughout the season and they had ensured an incident-free pilgrimage,” reports TOI.