Thiruvananthapuram: Devaswom minister K Muraleedharan has written to Travancore Devaswom Board president directing that the quality of ghee brought by devotees for preparing appam and aravana at Sabarimala be tested before use.The minister proposed setting up joint testing laboratories at the hospitals at Sannidhanam and Pamba, involving the health department, food safety department and forensic medicine department.The food safety department will test for adulteration, the health department for contamination and the forensic medicine department for toxic substances.In his letter, the minister said thousands of devotees bring ghee and deposit it in collection containers at the temple. The ghee is stored in six tanks, and samples should be collected and tested whenever the tanks are filled, he said.Three samples will be collected from each storage tank. One sample will be tested at Sabarimala, the second sent to the respective central laboratories of the three departments, and the third preserved in a freezer for further action if required.The minister directed that urgent steps be taken to establish the laboratories before the upcoming Mandala season. The devaswom board has also been asked to allocate funds for purchasing equipment and ensure basic infrastructure, including electricity and water, with the cooperation of the departments concerned.Ensuring the health and safety of devotees arriving for the Mandala-Makaravilakku pilgrimage is the joint responsibility of the state govt and Travancore Devaswom Board, Muraleedharan said.
