KOCHI/TRIPUNITHURA: It is not only traders in Sabarimala but also taxi operators in Ernakulam Town and Junction railway stations who are feeling the pinch of the poor turnout of pilgrims at the temple this season.There is a 30% drop in the number of pilgrims seeking taxis to Sabarimala, forcing many to drop fares by almost 20% to 30%, depending on the seat capacity.As there is a decline in the footfall of pilgrims, the number of trips of taxis in both the railway stations to the hill shrine has declined compared to last year. Last year, the railways had given passes to 250 taxi operators to operate from Ernakulam Junction and Town railway stations to Sabarimala. Taxis have to remit certain amount to operate from the railway stations to Sabarimala. But this year, only 170 drivers have opted for the pass, and of these, only 120 remitted the amount with the railways.“There are some who had parked their vehicle for around 15 days but failed to get even a single trip to Sabarimala. Later, they shifted elsewhere. Last year by now, I had finished around 15 trips to the hill shrine. But this year, I have got only six trips. Despite rising fuel prices, we have brought down rates by around Rs 200 for mini vehicles and the corresponding price for large vehicles. But for the last three days, pilgrims started to drop in at the railway stations,” says Lijo M George, a taxi operator in Ernakulam Junction railway station The poor turnout of pilgrims even forced taxi operators to canvass some pilgrims who boarded KSRTC buses to Pamba to take their vehicles. This resulted in KSRTC officials intervening in the issue and dissuading taxi operators from canvassing pilgrims.The decline in pilgrims has also affected hotels near railway stations in Ernakulam. “We used to get orders from pilgrims to serve them food when the train reach Ernakulam. We got around 10 such orders over two weeks by this time last year. But we got only two orders so far. Besides, lodges where the devotees used to stay for four or five days while returning from Sabarimala remain vacant,” says Babu P A, one of the partners of Uduppi Anandhabhavan hotel on M G Road.Meanwhile, the number of trips of KSRTC from Ernakulam Junction to Sabarimala is also low compared to last year. “But, the number of trips has started to pick up in the last two days. We have a helpdesk in front of the railway station to help devotees board the bus,” a KSRTC official said.A dip of 15-20% in the number of pilgrims to Sabarimala also affected the business on Chottanikkara Devi temple premises, say shopkeepers. “During the first three weeks after the beginning of pilgrimage, just a few thousand pilgrims visited the temple instead of the usual lakhs of pilgrims,” said Ratheesh R Nair of Amba Lodging and Stationeries in Chottanikkara.“Sabarimala pilgrimage is also a boon to the sale of stationery items, mineral water, biscuits and pickles. The near-zero business has forced us to cancel the bulk orders given for the fastmoving items,” Ratheesh added.

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