Thiruvananthapuram: The high-court-appointed three-member monitoring committee has expressed its displeasure over the use of mobile phones and cameras at Sabarimala Sannidhanam.The committee members have informed the Travancore devaswom board (TDB) authorities that mobile phones and cameras were rampantly misused by devotees at the hill shrine The committee has expressed concern over spreading the footages of pujas performed inside the sanctum sanctorum on social media.“There have been instances in which even the footage of the idol and offering of various pujas being circulated through social media,” said TDB president A Padmakumar.The panel has urged the devaswom authorities to take steps to prevent the use of mobile phones at the hill shrine, it has been learnt. Hence, measures to check the use of mobile phones by devotees above the holy steps are likely.“Already use of mobile phones and cameras are banned inside all the temples under TDB. But we have not made it strict in Sabarimala since we are not sure how much feasible it will be here due to the huge number of visitors,” said Padmakumar.“Most of the devotees are using their mobile phones to take pictures and shoot videos once they reach the hill shrine. They even compete with each other to take selfies once they climb the holy steps. Several of such videos are now available on social media, which has upset the expert committee,” said the TDB chief.It is not just the mobile phone users who have irked the monitoring committee.The committee has informed the TDB president that even if the authorities want to speak to the media it should be below the holy steps. Hence it has been learnt that there would be no media briefing or television bytes at the Sannidhanam from now on.The committee comprising retired Justice PR Raman, Justice S Sirijagan and ADGP Hemachandran had visited the hill shrine and expressed satisfaction over the facilities being prepared for the devotees.

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