Ensure availability of food to health personnel deployed on forest route to Sabarimala: Kerala HC

Kochi: The Kerala High Court has asked the state government to ensure that food facilities are available to the medical and panchayat personnel providing essential services at several locations on the Erumeli-Kananapatha forest route to the Sabarimala temple.

A bench of justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar said that denying them access to food facilities available at the Police Mess would cause serious hardship and may also adversely affect the discharge of their duties during the pilgrimage season.

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The court's observations came after it was informed that the government had issued an order on October 15 restricting the provision of food from the Police Mess to police personnel.

The court was informed that three teams of Health Department personnel, including doctors, were rendering medical services at Kalaketty, Azhuthakadavu and Koikkalkadavu, situated deep inside the forest along the Erumeli-Kananapatha route and food for them was being provided from the Police Mess in view of the remote location of those centres.

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The bench was told that if the October 15 order was implemented in its current form, it would become practically impossible to provide food to these Health Department personnel and officers of the Panchayat who are engaged in the discharge of essential duties at Sannidhanam during the pilgrimage season.

It was also told that the police department has urged the state government o relax the restriction to include the Health Department and panchayat personnel in food being provided by the Police Mess.

"Having considered the submissions, we are of the view that the request made by the Police Department, as well as the concerns brought to our notice by the Travancore Devaswom Board and the Amicus Curiae, merits positive consideration by the state government," the bench said.

It noted that the medical personnel are performing essential services for the benefit of pilgrims undertaking the arduous journey along the Kananapatha route and in such circumstances, "denying them access to the food facilities available at the Police Mess would cause serious hardship and may also adversely affect the discharge of their duties".

"The same consideration would apply to Panchayat personnel engaged in essential services during the pilgrimage season. We, therefore, expect the state government to consider the request sympathetically and take an appropriate decision at the earliest, keeping in view the essential nature of the services rendered by these personnel and the larger interests of the pilgrims," the bench said.