Thiruvananthapuram: The Forest Department has agreed to hand over the 13.5 acres of land where the Sabarimala temple is situated to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), ending a long-pending dispute between the two over the ownership of the land.
The decision was taken at a discussion led by the Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran and Forest Minister K Raju, held under the instruction of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The TDB was in possession of 63.5 acres of land including Sabarimala temple and its associated facilities. The dispute was about the land where the temple was located. The land, stipulated in the documents, will soon be handed over by the Forest Department to the TDB.
However, according to the agreement, the TDB will not be allowed to build new constructions in the forest land. Permission will be given only for constructions included in the master plan and the Forest Department will not object to any construction under the plan. The construction works will be completed before the next Mandalam pilgrimage season. Priority will be given to eco-friendly construction methods without using concrete.
The sand accumulated in River Pamba during the August floods would be removed on an emergency basis. The removed sand will be under the ownership of TDB and Forest Department. The TDB can take the sand needed for the construction work at Pamba and Nilakkal. The remaining sand will be auctioned by the Forest Department. The sand was being removed urgently following reports that the chances for flooding in River Pampa was high in case of heavy rain.
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