The Hindu Business Line : Centre may grant forestland for Sabarimala project

Forestland is likely to be made available at Sabarimala on the condition that the State Government provide equal measure of land in the forest area for afforestation, besides bearing the cost of planting trees.

Kochi , March 20

THE Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) is expected to make available forestland at Nilakkal and on both sides of the trekking path from Pampa to Sabarimala Sannidhanam at the initiative of the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh.

According to the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr T.K.A. Nair, who had visited Sabarimala, Pampa and Nilakkal in the Lord Ayyappa's Pookavanam, on Friday and Saturday, the required extent of forestland would be made available by the Ministry soon probably on the condition that the State Government provide equal measure of land in the forest area for afforestation, besides bearing the cost of planting trees.

The State Government has requested the Centre to make available 500 acres of forestland in the Periyar Tiger Reserve for development of facilities for devotees visiting Sabarimala every year during the pilgrimage season from mid-November to mid-January.

Mr Nair is also understood have expressed the view that the toilet complexes and several hotels and shops currently functioning on the sand bed of the river Pampa were not only the main cause for pollution, it has also denied pilgrims the right to perform rituals at Pampa.

Hence shifting of all these activities to Nilakkal would make the sand bed available for pilgrims to perform rituals.

The river Pampa is the main source of water for the inhabitants in the river basin stretching from Pampa to Kuttanad. In fact, during the two-month long pilgrimage season coliform bacteria in the Pamba river is found to be very high in the order of up to three lakh per 100 ml. This indicates the high level of sewage pollution due to the absence of sufficient sanitary facilities at Sabarimala, Pamba and en route Sabarimala for pilgrims as well as the public in the nearby inhabitations.

A base camp for pilgrims at Nilakkal with all amenitiesneeds to be developed so that the devotee flow to Pampa and from there to Sabarimala can be regulated, he said. Once the movement of the pilgrims is regulated from Nilakkal and Pampa, it would help reduce the duration of stay at Pampa and Sabarimala. This would, in turn, reduce the chances of river pollution. The pilgrims, Mr Nair said, should be discouraged from spending long hours at the Sannidhanam.

Upkeep of Sabarimala is important not only for the Government and the NGOs but also for the pilgrims, he added.

Therefore, he had suggested to the Travancore Devaswom Board to draw the attention of the devotees coming from within the State and outside to their role to maintain the sanctity of the forest and the environment.

Meanwhile, ecologists and environmental activists pointed out that any further deforestation in Sabarimala and other surrounding hills would result in serious ecological and environmental degradation leading to cloudbursts during the monsoons.

The latest Legislative Committee on Environment had already recommended that accommodation for pilgrims at Sabarimala should be provided besides ensuring potable water supply, removal of garbage, augmentation of transportation facilities, development of transit camp at Nilakkal.

The master plan prepared by it also envisages protection of the environment and improving water quality in the Pampa river.

The National River Conservation Directorate under the MoEF had already included Pampa in its national river conservation programme.

It has approved the first phase of the project involving an expenditure of Rs 18.45 crore and sanctioned the Centre's (70 per cent) share of Rs 12.90 crore.

The allocation was for carrying out 13 pollution abatement works at Sabarimala and Pampa. The Centre has also paid Rs 75 lakh to the State Government in March 2004 as advance.

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