Thrissur: This year’s Thrissur Pooram will ensure more safety by bringing down the dimensions of the fireworks and the sound pollution levels. The dimensions of dynamite (kushimini) have been brought down from a maximum of 18 inches in the previous years to just 4 inches this year. The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation has tightened the rules after the Puttingal fireworks tragedy last year. It has laid down stringent guidelines for the licensees and devaswoms after finding traces of the deadly and banned potassium chlorate in the fireworks of Thrissur Pooram, which were conducted a few days after Puttingal tragedy last year.
The fireworks approved this year by PESO are palm leaf crackers of 4x4x4 and 6x6x6, gundu (shell 6.8cm dia), Kuzhiminal 4” height, amittu 6” height and (shell 15 cm dia). Though the devaswoms had sought higher dimensions, the PESO turned them down. “The approved dimension points to the fact that though the firework buffs and devaswoms claim that the nod is for ‘traditional fireworks,’ most of the so- called traditional and unauthorised dimensions will not be there this year,” said Mr V.K. Venkitachalam of Heritage Animal Task Force, who had been demanding to reduce sound pollution levels and a ban on potassium chlorate.
Moreover, it is a win-win situation for both the central and state government, devaswoms and fireworks buffs and technically there is no ban on the ‘traditional’ fireworks, he added “The decibel level will not exceed the mandatory 125 units this year,” he noted. Mr M. Madhavankutty, secretary of Thiruvambady devaswom, one of the two major participants of the fireworks, said that two top PESO officials Dr. R. Venugopal, deputy chief controller explosives, Hyderabad, and Mr S.M. Kulkarni , deputy chief controller of explosives from PESO unit in Kakkanad, Kochi, had arrived in Thrissur to inspect the making of the fireworks on the basis of the approved dimensions of the organisation on Tuesday. They will be in Thrissur till Pooram, he said. They inspected the firework production units and okayed them, he noted.
