TDB seeks funds from ABASS

PATHANAMTHITTA: The free food facility at Sabarimala offered by voluntary organisations such as the Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sangham (ABASS) to thousands of pilgrims a day is facing uncertainty owing to the lukewarm response of the Travancore Devaswom Board. Talking to Express, ABASS general secretary N Velayudhan Nair said that the request for the allotment of the auditorium near Malikappuram Devi temple for preparing and serving free food was yet to be cleared by TDB.  He said that though the ABASS approached the devaswom authorities several times, they failed to give approval for the annadanamandapam for the purpose. The attitude of the devaswom authorities in giving sanction for the auditorium was passive and they sought funds for the TDB welfare fund. Velayudhan Nair said that the ABASS already transported 15 lorry loads of rubber wood to Sannidhanam for using as fire-wood making use of tractors till date. If the clearance is further delayed, the free food distribution during the forthcoming Mandalam-Makaravilakku season will be affected, Nair said. He said that the ABASS had already started collecting rice and other items for the preparation of its free food distribution facility from Tamil Nadu, Karanataka and Andhra Pradesh. Velayudhan Nair said that ABASS offers free food to 50,000-60,000 pilgrims a day during the peak Mandalam-Makaravilakku days. Sannidhanam Annadanam Committee head M Sreedhar said that the free food distribution was unique during the last two pilgrimage seasons as the ABASS could manage to distribute free food 20 hours a day during the peak  Makaravilakku season. He said that if the facility was denied to the Ayyappa Seva Sangham, the free food facility for the pilgrims would be hit hard and the opportunity would be misused by hoteliers and instant food operators at Sannidhanam.The hoteliers used to fleece the pilgrims by levying three to four times higher rates during the peak season of Makaravilakku, Sreedhar said.