Authorities plan new roads at Nilackal to ease parking congestion

With Nilackal, the base camp of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, bracing for heavy pilgrim traffic during the upcoming annual pilgrimage season, authorities are planning two new roads to ease congestion and streamline vehicle movement around the parking grounds.

According to sources, one of the proposed roads will pass behind the Devaswom guest house, while the other will run near the goshala (cow shelter). The road behind the guest house is intended to connect the parking area with the existing exit road used by vehicles leaving Nilackal.

The police proposed the roads during discussions with the Travancore Devaswom Board as part of preparations for the pilgrimage season. However, with barely a month left for the season to begin, officials have pointed out that the newly laid roads would need sufficient time to settle before being opened to vehicular traffic.

“With rain expected on most days, completing the works before the temple opens is unlikely. But the roads can be put to full use by the end of the Mandala season or by the beginning of the Makaravilakku season, when the influx of pilgrims reaches its peak,” an official said.

According to the official, the new roads will help streamline the movement of vehicles into and out of the parking grounds.

Nilackal, a key base station on the route to the hill shrine, has long struggled with severe congestion during the annual pilgrimage season. Traffic snarls often spill over into neighbouring areas, with serpentine queues stretching for several km along the roads and leaving pilgrims stranded in their vehicles for hours.