Crowd Cap, AI-Based Drone Surveillance: Kerala High Court Gives Detailed Suggestions To Improve Pilgrim Management At Sabarimala

The Kerala High Court has given detailed suggestions for improving pilgrim management at Sabarimala during the 2026-2027 season, including setting a cap of pilgrim inflow at 80,000 devotees daily, setting up of an institutional framework, improved technology to manage crowds, online payment and booking systems, etc.The Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar was considering a suo motu petition registered for the purpose of continuous monitoring by the Court to ensure conduct of pilgrimage in a safe, orderly, environmentally responsible, and pilgrim-centric manner.During the previous posting, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) was directed to file a detailed statement after taking into consideration all the aspects highlighted by the Court during the previous season. Accordingly, the TDB had set out the steps already taken and those proposed to be taken by it. Additionally, the Police had also submitted their inputs and pointed out the challenges in implementing the same.Perusing the same, the Court expressed it satisfaction:“We also note, with a degree of satisfaction, that the Board has approached the directions issued by this Court not as a mere formality, but with an open and constructive mindset, and with a clear intent to bring about meaningful and lasting improvements in the facilities and overall management at Sannidhanam, especially in the context of steadily increasing pilgrim inflow…Having carefully perused the statements filed by the respondents, we find them to be both exhaustive and thoughtfully structured. They reflect a conscious and coordinated effort on the part of the Board, in particular, as well as the Chief Coordinator and the State, to address the concerns highlighted by this Court.”The Court particularly stressed upon the efforts made by the Board to bring about digitisation of all festival activities by November 2026. The Court also noted that the Board has formulated a new Vision for Sabarimala festival— prioritizing safety, cleanliness, improved services, ambience, etc.Considering all the measures proposed, the Court went on to highlight them for detailed consideration and for ensuring implementation. These were split into separate heads: Institutional Framework and Governance; Crowd Management & Virtual Queue System;Technology & Integrated Command Systems; Traffic Management & Road Infrastructure;Infrastructure at Nilakkal (Base Camp), Pamba and Sannidhanam; Safety, Fire and Electrical Safety;Sanitation, Cleanliness and Waste Management;Medical and Health Services;Services to Pilgrims – Amenities and Welfare;Environmental Compliance;Appearance, Ambience and Communications;Personnel Training and Staffing; andTimelines for completionSome of the major suggestions highlighted are as follows:Sabarimala Infrastructure and Crowd Management Expert Committee The Court has directed the constitution of a Sabarimala Infrastructure and Crowd Management Expert Committee which shall include specialists from the fields of Transport Engineering, Urban and Regional Planning, Civil Engineering, Disaster and Crowd Science, Environmental Science, Public Health, and IT/Data Analytics.This Committee is to prepare a scientific plan for the upcoming season considering factors including carrying capacity, safety parameters, environmental concerns, pilgrim convenience, etc.The State is to prepare a panel of officers before the Court by April 8 so as to finalise the appropriate composition for the Committee.Other measures under institutional framework and governanceThe Court has also directed the creation of a Coordination and Monitoring Task force to implement the decisions of the Expert Committee in a timely manner and the agencies responsible are the TDB, Police, KSRTC, Kerala Water Authority, Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), Forest Department and District Administration.An IAS office is to be appointed by the State as Sabarimala ADM for inter-departmental coordination and for supervising sanitation related works.A Sabarimala Festival Office is to be made functional at Pamba from April 15 and all Board meeting on Sabarimala matters are to be held there.The Court has highlighted the need for a separate Sabarimala Festival Budget within the TDB Budget. All payments and receipts are now to be on online mode and a designated Chartered Accountant is to audit the account and publish the same within 3 weeks of Makaravilakku season.New contracts on hotel/food stalls, toilet maintenance, commercial establishment are to be incorporate green protocols, food safety and cleanliness standards, safety norms, etc. The existing tender documents and contracts are to reviewed and revised within a month.The State government is directed to convene review meetings before and during the pilgrimage season under the chairmanship of the Devaswom Ministers and other Ministers concerned. The State is also to ensure that contingency funds are released to the District Administrations of...

Crowd Cap, AI-Based Drone Surveillance: Kerala High Court Gives Detailed Suggestions To Improve Pilgrim Management At Sabarimala

K. Salma Jennath

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