Hyderabad, November 10: TAKING a serious note of increasing plastic waste in the surroundings of Sabarimala, Binoy Viswam, Minister for Forests and Housing, Kerala called upon all guruswami’s to create awareness among Ayappa devotees to stop carrying plastic bags and bottled water to the shrine temple of Ayyappa protect the environment and wildlife.
Speaking as the chief guest at a sensitisation-cum-awareness programme for Sabarimala pilgrim guruswamis jointly organised by the forest departments of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh here today, Binoy Viswam said that keeping Lord Ayyappa’s abode pure and pristine was the responsibility of every pilgrim who undertook the sacred journey to Sabarimala.
“Say no to plastic and save lord Ayyappa’s sacred poonkavanam. Guruswamis should take part in creating awareness among Ayyappa devotees when they are accepting deeksha. Many wild animals such as elephants and tigers in the vicinity of the sacred temple are killed when they consume the plastic materials accumulated here during each pilgrimage season,’’ he added.
He advised the devotees to make the pilgrimage pollution free and avoid carrying bags, bottles, tea cups, tetra-packs, sacks cases, polythene hardwares, polythene woven sacks, bottle lids and tins. “Pilgrims should use eco-friendly cloth bags supplied free by the Pollution Control Board of Kerala (PCB).’’ he added.
Viswam said that the Sabarimala Sanitation Society would deploy 600 workers for sanitation work at Pampa, Sannidhanam, Nilackal, Erumely and Pandalam during the pilgrim season. He added that steps had been taken to clear the Thiruvabharanam path well before the beginning of the pilgrim season.
Dr. Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy, Minister for Forests, Environment said that the state government would organise special camps to create awareness among the Ayyappa devotees, almost 60 per cent of who are from AP.
–Agencies