In a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, TDB president A. Padmakumar said the board was unable to clear the sand deposit from the Manalpuram owing to regulations imposed by the Forest Department. Mr. Padmakumar said removing the huge deposits of construction-grade sand from Pampa Manalpuram was a must for the smooth and safe pilgrim movement in the foothills. The TDB chief told The Hindu that the board had sought clearance for removing one lakh cubic metres of sand from the Manalpuram for renovation works at Sabarimala, Pampa, and Nilackal base camp. For freeMr. Padmakumar said a government-level meeting held earlier had decided to provide sand from Pampa Manalpuram for free. He also called upon the Chief Minister to issue orders for providing the sand required for TDB development projects at Sabarimala and its base camps for free.

Source: The Hindu May 08, 2019 17:59 UTC