Collector inspects Sathuragiri hills

There was a huge turnout of devotees, who witnessed Aadi Amavasai, on Saturday. In a bid to prevent devotees from using plastic bags, which are harmful to environment, the district administration distributed a total of 50,000 cloth bags to the devotees, a statement said, on Sunday. 

The Collector got access to the temple through Thaaniparai and came down the hill through Vaalaithoppu. Adequate facilities such as drinking water and sanitation facilities were arranged in the interest of devotees. Medical teams were put in place to render medical service to the needy. Bus services were made available to transport devotees from various destinations to the foothills of Sathuragiri and vice versa. Around 1,500 police personnel have been deployed on the Sathuragiri hills to provide security to the devotees, the statement said. 

According to P Mohammed Shadab, Srivilliputhur Wildlife Warden, around 1.3 lakh devotees turned up to the hills and offered prayers since August 8. Since the hill falls under the reserve forest area in Srivilliputhur in Virudhunagar district, lot of protective measures were being taken to monitor the movement of people and also to protect the animals. 

Unlike previous years, CCTV surveillance cameras were installed at four locations to monitor the movements. At entrance of Sathuragiri hills, the devotees were frisked to check whether they carry prohibited items such as plastic bag, liquor bottle, match box and other inflammable items in this wildlife sanctuary, Shadab said.