With the Kerala Government coming forward to allot five acres of land to provide accommodation and other facilities at Sabarimala to the visiting Ayyappa devotees of Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister Mr Kirankumar reddy today directed the officials to take up construction of buildings and complete the works in the next 12 months.

Kirankumar asked the senior officials of the endowments department and experts of the temple architecture to visit Kerala and oversee the progress of work there whenever necessary.

Chief Minister gave these directions to the officials after senior officers of the CMO informed him that Kerala Government was ready to hand over the promised 5 acres of land to AP government for providing the facilities.

It might be mentioned that the President of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which looks after the Ayyappa temple affairs, recently called on the Endowments Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah in Hyderabad and informed of Kerala Government’s willingness to allot five acres of land to provide accommodation and other facilities to the Ayyappa devotees visiting Sabarimala every year from the state.

The Kerala official told the Minister that nearly one crore Ayyappa devotees are visiting the famed pilgrim centre every year.

It is true that several Telugu Ayyappa devotees who visit the Sabarimala temple in Kerala every year are finding it difficult to find accommodation near the temple. “Locals at Sabarimala exploit us heavily and the Government’s decision goes a long way in helping the Ayyappa devotees,” said a devotee who visits the temple regularly. (JUBS)