Kochi: The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials and the police on Tuesday sent back pilgrims who reached Pampa braving adverse weather conditions as most areas of Pampa and Triveni were inundated with flood water.
Heavy rains continued to lash forest and catchment areas in the region as all four shutters of Anathode and Kochupamba dams were kept open. At least two incidents of tree falling were reported at Pampa alone. No one was injured.
“Both the bridges connecting mainland with the base camp were immersed as water level rose steadily due to heavy rains. It’s now impossible to cross the river. Barricades were erected and gates locked to prevent anyone from crossing. The second bridge is suspected to have suffered damage after soil beneath a bridge pillar was eroded,” A. Padmakumar, TDB president, told DC over phone from Pampa.
“Devotees should not take up pilgrimage given the adverse weather condition. With no other way, many pilgrims who reached here were asked to return,” he said. However, the ‘Nira-puthari Pooja’ will be done as scheduled.
“We won’t stop the ritual at any cost. The group bringing ‘Niraputhiri’ from Achan-kovil was divided into two teams, considering the emergency situation.
A nine-member team including the Tantri proceeded to Sabarimala through the Pullumedu route on a forest department’s vehicle. However, the group including tantri were stranded at Uppupara with the heavy rains forcing them to cut short their journey. They will resume the journey to Sabarimala on Wednesday morning only,” forest officials said.
Another group collected ‘Niraputhiri’ from Sabarimala itself. The third group will stay at Pamba till the water level comes down,” the official said.
The TDB on Monday issued an advisory against devotees undertaking the pilgrimage even as the famous Lord Ayyappa hillshrine was opened for ‘Niraputhari Pooja’ at 5 pm on Tuesday. “The pooja will be held between 6 pm and 6.30 pm on Wednesday as scheduled,” he said.
Earlier, water resource minister Mathew T. Thomas visited Pampa to assess the situation.
Schools becoming relief centres, exams haywire
With several schools turning into relief camps and many others marooned or submerged, students have already lost almost a precious two weeks to one month of study in the continuing floods in several parts of the state.
The general education authorities seem clueless as to how to conduct the exams scheduled from August 31 immediately after the Onam vacation this time.
In northern Kerala battered by the flood and rain fury, over 100 schools have turned into relief camps, a majority of them in Wayanad.
Students in Kuttanad have already lost classes for a month as the Alappuzha district collector was forced to declare a holiday for them due to the intensity of the floods. Flood waters have entered many schools and hence cannot be turned even into relief centres. Parts of Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Palakkad and Ernakulam and many areas of Idukki too have been seriously hit by the rain and floods and students there have lost precious working days.
Highly placed sources in the GED said the government would have to decide on the conduct of the Onam exam under these circumstances.
Sources said they would brief the government on various aspects involved, as any decision on postponing the exam will have to at the government level.
“Schools in Cherthala taluk have lost nearly three working weeks due to holidays on account of floods. Now we are trying to rush through portions and are not able to teach the nitty-gritty of the subjects. Still, with just five working days left before Onam, we will not be able to finish portions. Rains have intensified now again, and it has cast a shadow over the entire process,” said Dr Vinovin, Sanskrit teacher with Uzhuva Government UP School in Cherthala.
“Many students are now reporting to school in Kainakary in Kuttanad despite holidays and the PTA has taken the step to arrange classes for them so that their fate is not in peril. It’s a rare predicament,” said Vasudevan, a parent who is a farmer.
