Attukal Pongala fest to be restricted within temple premises

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the Covid-19 threat continuing to loom large, the state government has decided to hold the Attukal Pongala festival in a low-key manner this year strictly adhering to Covid-19 protocols.A high-level meeting chaired by Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran here on Wednesday decided to declare only the ward surrounding the Attukal Temple as festival zone. 

The plan is to confine the pongala to the temple premises and admissions to the temple compound will be given through online registration like on the lines of Sabarimala model. The maximum number of people who would be allowed to offer pongala would be decided later. The meeting has also decided not to allow people to offer pongala on public roads or other public places. In view of the Covid-19 threat, the government is urging devotees to offer pongala at their homes. The meeting also decided to avoid kuthiottam and thalappoli to avoid crowding.

Green protocol and Covid-19 protocol would be strictly observed during the festival. The minister also directed the officials to complete the preparations on a war-footing ahead of the festival which would be held on February 27.

The high-level meeting was called following the request of the temple trust urging the government to come up with guidelines for pongala. An official of the Temple Trust said that a final decision on the guidelines would be announced after the trust board meeting to be held on Sunday. The high-level meeting was attended by V S Sivakumar, MLA, Mayor Arya Rajendran, Devaswom principal secretary K R Jyotilal, Commissioner Balram Kumar Upadhyay and temple trust officials.

Over 72,000 active cases 
As many as 5,659 new Covid cases were reported in the state on Wednesday along with 5,006 recoveries. The state also confirmed 20 more deaths taking the total toll to 3,663. The samples processed were 51,130. Among the newly infected patients, 5,146 contracted the virus through local transmission, 393 were cases with unknown source of infection and 77 were returnees. At present, 72,234 patients are undergoing treatment for Covid.