KOTTAYAM: The UDF team that visited
Nilackal
and
Pamba
to get first-hand knowledge about the miseries faced by the pilgrims said that the situation was "extremely pitiable".
MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, who headed the panel, said that the government machinery has been a total failure at
Sabarimala
and there was no effort on the part of the government to improve the situation.
"At Pamba, pilgrims were standing in queues for 8-9 hours under the hot sun without drinking water or food. The rush was created artificially," he said.
He also said that there was a viripanthal in Pamba that used to accommodate 15,000 pilgrims at a time. However, the facility got washed away in the 2018 floods and only two small resting places are available now, he said.
The team also visited Nilackal. "As many as 100-150 pilgrims were crammed in buses without operating the air conditioners," the MLA said.
The panel later held a meeting at Pamba and discussed the report to be filed to the UDF state committee. "The team has decided to recommend legal action for the severe human rights violation the devotees are facing due to lack of basic facilities," Radhakrishnan said.
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