Uneasy over intelligence reports, the Kerala government is set to sign up Keltron to run a Rs 3-crore satellite surveillance over the crowds at Sabarimala pilgrim season. As many as 4 to 5 crore pilgrims – about 1.5 times the population of Kerala – visit Sabarimala hill shrine during the 41-day season in November-December, as per official statistics.
“Satellite surveillance – on the electronic vigil model that tamed the drug mafia in Mexico – could go a long way to ensure security to the pilgrims. Secondly, this could also cut short pilferage of the temple revenues at various stages,” says CK Guptan, president, Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), who controls the Sabarimala temple.
The temple, which collected Rs 101 crore revenue in the 41 days from mid-November 2006, is expecting Rs 120-150 crore revenue in the 2007 season. A rough estimate is that as much 10-30% of the original collection is lost as leakages. A satellite camera, with visuals monitored from three or four security points, could thwart such activities.
Keltron had put up proposal for a surveillance solutions project to TDB, M Narayanan, managing director, Keltron told FE. “Depending on the resolution of visuals, area under coverage and the budget, the surveillance could be using satellite camera, wi-fi or wi-max,” he said. The company has been in talks with Centre for Development of Advanced Technology (C-DAT) and a bunch of multinationals to cull together solutions for the project.
What worries the State government is that the Sabarimala pilgrim’s headload satchel (Irumudikettu), that traditionally carries coconut and assorted puja gear, could prove the perfect camoflauge for a potential criminal. While keeping tabs on unidentified baggages, the project would also keep a vigil on the flow of money offered by devoties as it goes to the counting machines.
“At its basic level, the surveillance plan would be a useful confidence measure for the pilgrims flocking to Pamba,” says G Sudhakaran, Kerala devaswom minister. TDB is also planning smartcards, which would facilitate distribution of aravana payasa – the Sabarimala temple offering – through vending machines at public places like busstands and railway stations.