THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In view of the heavy flow of Ayyappa devotees to the city during the Mandala-Makaravilakku season and the consequent toll it will have on the city dwellers, the Sree Padmanabha Bhaktha Samithi has presented a set of suggestions to the Devaswom Minister V S Sivakumar, Mayor K Chandrika and City Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham to provide amenities to the pilgrims. However, Samithi working chairman A Kasthuri said that the authorities concerned have not considered their proposal though their proposal was ideal for the pilgrims as well as the city dwellers. Kasthuri said that the Corporation’s decision was to direct the vehicles carrying the pilgrims who came to visit Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple to Attukal temple to facilitate their stay and send the vehicles to park near Killippalam. He pointed out that in that case the traffic between Attukal and Killippalam would be unimaginable. The Bhaktha Samithi has asked the authorities to send the vehicles to Enchakkal Bypass and allow the buses to park on both sides of the service roads parallel to the Bypass. They are of the view that, installing 100 temporary toilets at Enchakkal area along the NH Bypass would be congenial to the pilgrims who come from distant places. The Samithi has also offered to find sponsors to set up the toilets. The PWD Department has already been approached to provide drainage facility and water. Temporary permit for mini buses and vans to operate shuttle service between Enchakkal and West Fort during this period has also been sought. In the memorandum submitted to the Minister and other authorities, it has been pointed out that sufficient street lights are not there near the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple premises. As there will be a huge crowd along the streets surrounding the temple, antisocial elements will also be active during the season. If the vehicles were allowed to park near the temple, people will defile the area taking the parked vehicle for cover. Food waste is also likely to be dumped here. Samithi has asked the authorities to ban parking of vehicles other than that of the residents. Traffic of heavy vehicles should be banned inside the Fort area. People should not be allowed to sleep on the streets during night time. The entry to the Padmatheertham should be banned during the Mandala season. Erecting of sheds on the footpaths between North Nada and Padmatheertham should also not be allowed. Abandoned vehicles and trailers should be removed from this area, it has been demanded in the memorandum.
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