Sabarimala temple remains closed for pilgrims
Sabarimala (Kerala) Aug 23 : The Sabarimala temple in Kerala will remain closed to the public until further notice due to the overflowing Pamba river, authorities said on Thursday.
The temple was closed on August 13 following massive floods.
According to the temple authorities, the floods have caused damage worth Rs 100 crore to its infrastructure. A.Padmakumar, President of the Travancore Devasom Board which manages the Sabarimala temple, told the media that they had no other option but to close it down.
The sluice gates of two dams that forms a part of the Sabarigiri project, was opened after heavy rains and subsequent floods ravaged places in and around the temple town.
However, all the religious rituals of the temple will be conducted. Following the decision, several pilgrims from Tamil Nadu who had planned for a pilgrimage have cancelled their trip.
The temple is open only during from the middle of November till the middle of January, but for several years now, it is kept open for a few days at the start of every Malayalam month which falls during the middle of every month.
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Odisha: Two girls drown while bathing in village pond
Berhampur (Odisha) (PTI): Two girls drowned while bathing in a village pond in Odisha's Ganjam district on Tuesday, police said.
The deceased were identified as Pranjali Dora (11), a class 6 student, and Manini Dora (12), a student of class 7, both residents of Patanda village in Digapahandi police station area, a police officer said.
After returning home from school, they went to the village pond to take a bath like every other day. However, they slipped and fell into deep waters. Locals noticed them drowning and tried to rescue them but failed, he said.
Fire brigade personnel from Digapahandi retrieved the girls after a two-hour search and they were rushed to a nearby community health centre, where doctors declared them dead, Digapahandi police station officer-in-charge Kishor Kumar Samal said.
He said the bodies have been handed over to the respective families after conducting post-mortem examinations at MKCG Medical College and Hospital here.
He said unnatural death cases have been registered and an investigation launched.
