The Travancore Devaswom Board has been asked to urgently explore the possibility of creating a small tributary for the river Pamba, just the way Har Ki Pauri ghat was created on the banks of Ganga in Haridwar, where all pilgrim-related rituals could be carried out.
The recommendation has been made in the report of the Assembly Committee on Environment headed by CPI MLA Mullakkara Retnakaran. “If a separate place is created for the pilgrims to do their holy chores, the accumulation of waste and pollution could be restricted to a small section of the river. It will also make the disposal of waste easier,” Mullakkara said after tabling the report in the Assembly on Wednesday.
The famous Ganga 'arathi' in Haridwar, during which thousands of pilgrims float mud lamps on the river, is held at Har Ki Pauri along the banks of a tributary of the Ganga. A system of check dams might serve the purpose. The Assembly Committee has asked the TDB to do an urgent feasibility study.
Polluting rituals
The committee also felt that certain beliefs were hurting the Pamba. For instance, devotees especially from other states have the habit of taking off the clothes they have on them and throwing them into the river. This way, it is believed, a devotee casts off all his fears and troubles. “But an accumulation of textile garbage blocks the natural flow of the river. Devotees should be told that such rituals would lead to the death of the river and also cause health issues for them,” the report said.
Besides restricting such rituals to a small area, the committee has put forward another solution. “These clothes that the pilgrims have cast away into the river could be picked up, and using the technical knowhow of reputed institutions like IIT, recycled into value-added products like doormats,” the report said.
Further, the committee has also recommended a strict ban on soap, oil and shampoo along the banks of Pamba. “Taking bath using soap, oil and shampoo quickly pollutes the river water. These items should also not be sold in the shops that are granted permission to do business in the area,” the report said.
Portable flyovers
Erumeli, the small town where 'petta thullal' is held, is another Sabarimala pilgrimage site the committee wants streamlined. Erumeli is a small town suffering severe space shortage. There are not even enough toilets for pilgrims pouring into the town during the season.
The town does not have the capacity to absorb the traffic that flows into it during the season. For this the Committee has recommended an out-of-the-box solution. “The TDB should explore the possibility of installing temporary walkways and flyovers during the season as a solution to the traffic snarls and lack of space at Erumeli,” the report said.
The Committee's logic is that these prefabricated pathways, which can be folded up and removed once the season is over, can be laid through private lands without much resistance. “Even locals will find it convenient,” Mullakkara said.
