Sabarimala: Police have introduced a manual counting system to track the number of devotees climbing the sacred Pathinettam Padi (18 holy steps) at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam, using a stopwatch on a mobile phone and a register to record pilgrim movement.

Four police personnel have been specially deployed at the top of the Pathinettam Padi to count devotees in real time. The data is compiled hourly and handed over to senior officers overseeing crowd management at the steps. A daily consolidated report is then shared with the Intelligence Bureau, the Travancore Devaswom Board and the Kerala government, officials said.

Police personnel assisting pilgrims at the Pathinettam Padi are engaged in one of the most physically demanding duties at Sabarimala. To prevent exhaustion, each officer is assigned 15 minutes of active duty, followed by 45 minutes of rest. During breaks, officers are provided milk mixed with health supplements to aid recovery.

Youth volunteers from various camps are also deployed to support the operation. Each police officer works a total of six hours per day at the Sannidhanam.

Officials said the approved flow rate is 70 to 80 devotees per minute on the Pathinettam Padi, though the current average is being regulated at 65 to 75 pilgrims per minute to ensure safety and smooth crowd movement during the pilgrimage season.