Sabarimala: Wonder drivers left in the lurch

Sabarimala: One who takes the long walk from Pampa to Sannidhanam through the six kilometre road may not miss one sight: the tractors carrying goods up and back. And the skillful drivers who ride the tractors with immense concentration, patience and skill even as thousands of devotees walk up and down the road which has plenty of hairpin curves.

While the devotees and security personnel give full credit to the drivers’ skills for managing the vehicle and crowds at the same time, many of them believe that it’s the blessings of the Lord Ayyappa that help them to do their duty without major mishaps.

The nearly 60 tractors ply more than 200 trips a day carrying flowers, vessels and food items. “It is a tough drive as the road is full of devotees,” said P. A. Anzari, a native of Erumeli. “We are helpless if someone jumps in front of the tractor but nothing happened so far due to Lord Ayyappa’s blessings.” Anzari, 19, is the youngest tractor driver in Sabarimala.

The drivers who play a major role in the smooth functioning of Sannidhanam, however, get no facilities there. “We work without rest but the authorities have not provided us even with a single room for basic needs at Sannidhanam,” said S. Rajesh, who has been driving tractors at Sannidhanam for the last 10 years. “We cannot take bath in Pampa as there are restrictions and the police charges hefty fine.” The drivers also demand that the authorities keep the rods in a better condition. “At present we are using Velippalam bridge road to go down from Sannidhanam. The narrow road is posing serious threat to the life of the devotees as well as ours,” he said.

The drivers said they are not permitted to take their own helpers with them as the trade unions are opposed to it. “We used to train our helpers so that they can drive next season,” Mr Rajesh said. “But the labourers the unions send cannot drive, making our lives difficult.”