Fire likely to cast shadow over Thrissur Pooram festival

The fire tragedy at the Puttingal Devi temple Complex in Kollam district is likely to cast a shadow over Kerala’s famous Thrissur Pooram festival in which display of fireworks is a major attraction. The Thrissur district administration will hold a meeting of all stakeholders including office-bearers of famous Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi Devaswoms, the major players in the festival, to discuss safety measures to be taken to ensure a safe Pooram festival, commencing tomorrow.

The grand finale to the week-long Pooram festival in Thrissur is marked by display of fireworks. This year’s Pooram festival will culminate on April 17.

While district administration could give sanction only to use a limited amount of crackers and pyrotechnic materials for the fireworks, it is estimated that at least 8,000 kg of such materials are used for the Pooram fireworks.