Conditional permission has been given to conduct fireworks during the Arattupuzha Pooram, one of the major temple festivals in central Kerala.
“Permission has been given for 300 shells and 10,000 crackers produced adhering to the guidelines of the Chief Controller of Explosives. Ammittu, Gundu, and Kuzhiminnal are not allowed. People should be kept 100 m away from the display venue by erecting barricades. All guidelines of the Explosives Rules 2008 and Licensee Rules should be strictly followed. The temple advisory committee should take a Public Liability Insurance of ₹2 crore,” said District Collector A. Kowsigan.
The conditional permission has been given as per a High Court order. The Thrissur tahsildar and Irinjalakuda Dy.SP have been given the charge of monitoring if the guidelines are maintained.
The Thrissur tahsildar has been instructed to send samples of the fireworks for testing at the Regional Chemical Examiners Laboratory, Kakkanad. The temple advisory committee had applied for permission for fireworks on March 23 (between 8.30 p.m. and 9 p.m.), March 28 (between 9 p.m. and 9.30 p.m.), and March 29 (between 10.30 p.m. and 10.45 p.m).
Arattupuzha Pooram will be celebrated on March 29. Twenty-four temples will take part in the festival. The ceremonial flag for the festival was hoisted on Friday.
Kooti Ezhunnellippu held around the midnight of the Pooram day is a magnificent sight in which around 70 elephants will be paraded. It is believed that Lord Vishnu (Thriprayar Thevar) flanked by Bhoomidevi (Cherpu Bhagavathy) and Lakshmi Devi (Oorakathamma) reaches the Arattupuzha Pooram fields to bless the land and devotees. The belief is that Ganga Devi will be present at the Mandaram Kadavu (bathing ghat) of the Arattupuzha river on the festival day. The festival will conclude on March 30.
Award
Meanwhile, Kunnath Ramachandran has been selected for the Arattupuzha Sree Sastha Puraskaram posthumously. The award is given considering his services in conducting the pooram. The award, which carries a gold locket embossed with the image of Lord Sree Sastha, a plaque, and a citation, was handed over to his relatives on Friday.
