The Kerala High Court has directed inclusion of a senior officer of the Finance department in the meetings of the high-power committee set up to implement the Sabarimala master plan.
The court was hearing a suo motu case pertaining to the difficulties encountered in crowd management during the previous Mandalam-Makaravilakku season.
Referring to the committee citing the need for an officer not below the rank of Additional Secretary from the Finance department at its meetings, a Division Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and K.V. Jayakumar said the presence of a senior officer of the Finance department was imperative in such meetings, particularly when one of the recurring concerns was the non-disbursement of funds despite budgetary allocations.
“The committee meets only periodically, and we find no reason why the presence of such an officer cannot be ensured, at the very least, once every month,” the court said, and directed the Government Pleader to obtain and place before it instructions in this regard.
The court further held that considering the nature and extent of the responsibilities entrusted to the Chairman of the committee, he would be entitled to the same honorarium as that payable to the Ombudsman. The matter was posted for hearing on July 1.
The primary objective of the master plan is to cater to the essential needs of Sabarimala pilgrims, while ensuring the protection of the region’s fragile ecological balance. Once implemented, this plan is expected to streamline pilgrim flow, reduce congestion at Pampa and along the trek routes, and facilitate the development of queue complexes and related infrastructure.
Published – June 30, 2026 08:34 pm IST
