All arrangements in place for Makaravilakku festival at Sabarimala

Adequate facilities have been arranged to allow devotees to witness the 'makara jyoti' and descend the hillock safely, say police officials

Sabarimala: A total of 5,000 police personnel have been deployed to ensure the smooth conduct of the ‘Makaravilakku’ festival at the Sabarimala hill shrine, State Police chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb on Saturday said.

Addressing the media after reviewing the preparations, Saheb said approximately 1,800 personnel are stationed at ‘sannidhanam’, 800 at Pampa, 700 at Nilakkal, 1,050 in Idukki, and 650 in Kottayam.

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Additionally, security arrangements include personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Rapid Action Force (RAF), he said.

Adequate facilities have been arranged to allow devotees to witness the ‘makara jyoti’ and descend the hillock safely, he added. The police have also devised a special plan to manage the Thiruvabharanam procession efficiently, the official said.

Nearly 1,440 top police officers, including one SP, 12 DySPs and 31 circle inspectors have been deployed, he added. Forces like police, fire and rescue services, and NDRF have examined the security at all the important locations where devotees arrive to witness the ‘makara jyoti’.

A coordination meeting will be held with all the departments on Sunday, the state police chief said. Chief police coordinator ADGP S Sreejith will be stationed at ‘sannidhanam’, while South Zone IG Shyam Sundar will oversee operations at Pampa.

DIG Ajitha Begum will monitor arrangements at Nilakkal, and Ernakulam DIG Satish Binu will manage the Erumeli-Idukki section, according to the state police chief. An exit plan has also been prepared for the devotees to leave after ‘makaravilakku’ festival, he added.

The State Police chief also said that the police made arrangements to facilitate the devotees to descend the hill smoothly by using the exit plan in case of a rush. The ‘makaravilakku’ festival will be held at the Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa temple on January 14.