The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) is experiencing a never-before downturn in its revenue collection at Sabarimala.There has been a drastic fall in number of pilgrims visiting the hill shrine.According to reports, there has been a decline of over Rs 7 crore as compared to the revenue last year during this season.
Reports say that a footfall of just about 1.5 lakh pilgrims has been recorded between November 16 and November 22 evening, which is very low as compared to about 1 lakh pilgrims visiting the Lord Ayappa shrine each day last year during the Mandalam season.
The sale of Aravana, the most-sought-after Sabarimala prasadom, was badly affected in the first week of the ongoing season.Vendors at Erumeli are planning to make legal moves against the Devaswom as the shops they had obtained through auction at the cost of lakhs of rupees are running into losses. They have not got back even the money they had spent for winning the auction.
The vendors have started feeling the pinch one week since after the beginning of Mandalam-Makaravilakku season.
Merchants had taken shops spending Rs One to Ten lakh as auction price. After Sanidhanam, Erumeli has more number of shops. Devaswom board had auctioned here about 57 stalls for tea shops, season shops and hotels.
Erumeli more or less wears a deserted look in the wake of Sabarimala women entry issue. There are takers for soap, comb and Shambu but mere sale of these items will not suffice if they want to reach break-even.
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