Parumala pilgrimage routes in shambles ahead of annual event

Mannar: With barely a day to go before the annual pilgrimage to the Parumala Church commences, the pilgrim routes remain in shambles riddled with deep potholes and inundated with water. Devotees and locals alike have voiced strong resentment over official apathy, pointing out that authorities have failed to carry out even basic maintenance.

None of the primary access roads leading to Parumala from the Mannar, Kadapra, and Pandanad panchayats are motorable. During an inter-departmental review meeting held to oversee festival preparations, the Public Works Department (PWD) and local panchayat officials had assured that all damaged stretches across Mannar, Parumala, and Pandanad would be made traffic-worthy in time. However, the promised work has not even begun.

The crucial Mannar–Parumala–Pandanad–Chengannur road, which runs past the front of the church, along with several connecting interior roads, remains practically impassable. The Panayannarkavu road adjacent to the church is in an exceptionally dire state.

Vehicles carrying pilgrims arriving from the Chengannur side via Pandanad are designated to park at the Straw Board Factory grounds. From there, pilgrims must navigate a muddy, pothole-strewn path to reach the church a stretch where even wild roadside overgrowth and bushes have not been cleared.

Another key route to the church is the Mannar Panchayat office Kottakkal Kadavu Bridge Parumala road, which crosses a tributary of the Pampa River. Vehicles arriving from the Mannar side drop off pilgrims near the bridge, after which devotees cross over on foot to reach the church. Here, too, the road on the Parumala side is completely battered, and the Kottakkal Kadavu ambulance bridge itself remains in a hazardous state of disrepair.