SASS opened Two more seva kendrams

Sabarimala,November 26 :
Annadanam at ERUMELY started on 26 Nov, Devasom board has given free land for annadanam near KSRTC bus station Eerumely. About 2000 pillgrims were given annadanam every day. Kottayam dst president  Inaugrated the Kendram.As well as another annadanan started near Pala at Kadapettur temple on 25 Nov

SASS's free food and facility inaugurated

Sabarimala,November 24 :
The New Indian Express News
Travancore devaswom Board president M Rajagopalan Nair on Wednesday inauguarated the Sabarimala ayyappa Seva Samajam's free food distribution facilities for the pilgrims at Pandithavalam,near here. Delivering his address at the function, rajagopalan nair compliment the ayyappa seva samajam for its role in providing basic facilities to the pilgrims including free food.
 he said that the TDB could not undertake the herculean task of providing all the required facilities to the crores of pilgrims who come for darshan of Lord Ayyappa.  hence, the Board would encourage service minded organisations such as Ayyappa seva samajam to provide basic facilites to pilgrims, including free food, Rajagopaln Nair said.
In addition, the Board would provide facillities in such organisations such as floor space for offering free food at important pilgrim transit camps TDB temples, Nair said. Sabarimala executive officer V S Jayakumar, administrative officer Prasannan PIllai, POlice special Officer C Rajagopal and  ASP Rahul Nair were present on the occasion. Samajam to offer more facilities: Ayyappa Seva Samajam national  general secretary Kummanam Rajasekharan told 'Express' that the samajam would set up an additional 50 pilgrims assistance centres in southern states in the coming pilgrimage season. With this,the samajam's pilgrims assistance centres would go up to 100.

SASS has launched a project to make sabarimala clean green and divine

 Environmental and ecological issues caused by the plastic waste and litter left around by millions of pilgrims at sabarimala and pamba are very serious. Accepted statistics are that at least 3 lacks of pilgrims visit sabarimala a day during the season . If as much as one in an hundred of them leaves behind a plastic bottle it would come to 3000 a day at the Mala, pamba, poonkavanam . Total for a single season could be 1.8 million ! Litter from the plastic covers of camphor , agarbathi, food materials and even shampoo, not to speak of the carry bags, is apart from this. Cloth materials is discarded after Darsan add to the woes. Coconut husk and crust pile up hill - size . the pamba river suffers all these are washed down in to it during the rains. The predicament poses critical treat to plant and animal life at sabarimala and surroundings .
A survey found that each pilgrim is responsible for a minimum of 250gm of plastic waste at sabarimala. Waste materials like water bottles , chocolate covers, rain coats, food covers etc to the tune of 8750 tones were found in the poonkavanam area after the last pilgrimage season ! Plastic covers thrown away with food remains are eaten by the animals . Postmortems shows study increase in no of animal death after consuming plastic stuff. The incinerator put up at sabarimala has only very poor capacity .
sabarimala poomkavanam is a green and glorious with its hills trees grasslands and animals . It is because he is a lord of 5 elements of water, sky , fire, earth and air  that ayyappa swamy is worshiped as the Sree Bhoothanatha, Bhoomi prapancha, and ashta Dasaadreeswara . we must preserve as scared the 5 elements , the 18 hills and poonkavanam because they are dear to the lord. To care for the pancha bhootas , poonkavanam and the 18 hills that are dear to the ayyappa swamy and conserve the ecology , bio-diversity and natural beauty there, the samajam has formatted the sabarimala-Clean,Green,Divine Project. The activites undertaken are
a. Removel : Volunteers will work hard and remove the plastic and other waste left behind at sabarimala and surroundings and keep them clean.
b.Processing:Plastic and other solid\\liquid waste like cocunut husk and shell will be proceesed through suitable methods.
c.Planting:To spread the meesage of the pookavanam,plants and seeds of trees will be distributed to devotees to plant in their courtyards to bear in the mind the Pigrimage expereince.Devotees shall go around the trees/plants daily [Pradakshinam] chanting \'Poonkavanamae sharanam ayyappa\' while watering and nurturing them.
d.Awareness:Vratha and traditional codes of devotee behaviour will be disseminated to all,to create  awareness of the need to preserve the inviolability and sancity of sabarimal and the pookavanam.The public shall be inspired and exhorted to assimilate the divine message of sama-darsana and advaitha anubhoothi to feel blessed and gratified thereby.
That plastic should not be used in keetu-nira and if used at all such materials should be carried back home for disposal without leaving them at Sabarimal,would be emphasised.Cloth bags will be supplied wherever possible.
Devotees will be persuaded against the practice of throwing and leaving behind clothes at the Mala nad the Poonkavam,on their way back.

Plea to declare Sabarimala a holy zone

PATHANAMTHITTA: Kummanam Rajashekharan, general secretary, Hindu Aikya Vedi, has called upon the Union and the State governments to declare the Sabarimala “Poonkavanom” (sacred forests) a holy zone, considering the importance of keeping the pilgrim centre clean, green and divine. At a press conference at the Sannidhanam on Thursday, he alleged that the Travancore Devaswom Board had been fleecing pilgrims by collecting parking fee at Pampa and Nilackal.
They also had to pay a fee to use the toilets and urinals at Sabarimala and Pampa and other base camps.
HINDU PAPER LINK:
http://www.hindu.com/2010/11/19/stories/2010111961020700.htm