Highlights
- The Kerala State government is planning to launch a mega temple-centred infrastructure development project soon.
- Minister for Devaswom and Tourism Kadakampally Surendran said the Rs.150-crore project, to be funded by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), would provide basic amenities to devotees visiting various temples in the State as well as Sabarimala pilgrims.
- The proposed amenity centres would follow a sustainable development model.
- Mr. Surendran said the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Bharat Petroleum (BP) have expressed interests in undertaking temple-centric pilgrim amenity projects for Rs.130 crore each.
- Pilgrim shelters, dormitory with Wi-Fi facility, professionally managed vegetarian restaurant, laundry area, and prepaid counters for booking puja and prasadom at Sabarimala and other temples managed by the Travancore Devaswom Board are the features of the two projects.
- A well-designed Annadanam hall and vehicle parking lots are the other facilities planned.
- The government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the IOC for setting up three transit centres for Sabarimala pilgrims on the land attached to the Malabar Devaswom Board near the Tiruvangad Sri Rama temple in Thalassery, Kadampuzha Devi temple, and Nelliyodu Bhagavathy temple at Taliparamba.
- The Minister said the Rs.150-crore project for self-contained modern transit camps at select temple towns along National Highways and State Highways would be implemented with KIIFB support and completed in 18 months.
- Chief architect of the Chennai-based Pithavadiyan and Partners G.Mahesh said all transit centres would be designed as per the gold-standards of the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA).
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