NILACKAL: Union minister Alphons Kannanthanam who visited Nilackal to assess the facilities on Monday did not start on a good note as his car got stuck in the slush-filled parking lot of KSRTC bus station. The minister did not waste a second to step on the muddy track and offer a helping hand. Having pulled his vehicle out of trouble, he checked the toilets in the area and was understandably miffed.When media gathered around him, Alphons blasted the LDF government. "Pilgrims are being arrested and sent to jail. Such things had not been heard of even during the Stalin era. What was the need to declare 144 at Sabarimala ?" he said.The minister said that the newly-introduced container toilets were placed at a height of around 5ft and to use other toilets, pilgrims had to pay. "The government's priority seems to be in arresting pilgrims and not in ensuring basic amenities like clean toilets," Alphons said.He said that not a pie had been spent although the Union tourism ministry had allocated Rs 100 crore for post-flood works at Sabarimala.The minister was also keen on brief interactions with pilgrims returning from the shrine. "How are things?" he probed and a pilgrim group from Karnataka readily replied, "There is no one up there, Sir. We had an easy darshan. Everything is good". The minister walked on with an okay and encountered a little girl. He asked her whether she was happy and the girl nodded in assent and he headed towards toilets. Overflowing closets with floating faeces greeted him and he soon wielded his handkerchief."I was here a month after the flood and I had told the authorities to do certain things. But, nothing has changed here. This is because authorities are not committed to people," the Union minister said.Later, he trekked up to Sannidhanam. "The state government is determined to ensure that people don't have the right to pray, they are creating all kinds of troubles... Is this a democracy? Definitely not. This is not at all acceptable," he told reporters.

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