THRISSUR: Uncertainty is still looming over the possibility of conducting traditional fireworks for Thrissur Pooram this year scheduled to be held on May 5, even after Union Commerce and Industries Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Monday that permission would be given by the district collector to conduct fireworks in Kerala by strictly abiding to the existing Explosive and Safety rules. Speaking to DC, secretary of Thiruvambady Devasom M Madhavankutty said that the main issue faced by the pooram firework organizers would be the testing of firework samples by taking them to the office of the chief controller of Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) in Nagpur.
“We have written to the controller that there are safety and practical issues in taking the sample of gundu, amittu, dynamite and kuzhiminni to Nagpur and it would be better to post a special officer who could come to Thrissur and do the sample testing and oversee the production of fireworks after approving the samples,” he said. He said that both Thiruvambady and Paramekkauv devaswoms were not sure about conducting fireworks as extensively as in the previous years. Anti-fireworks activist and secretary of Heritage Animal Task Force V K Venkitachalam said that as the Union Minister had made in clear fireworks would be conducted within the ambit of the Explosives Rules 2008, which prevented storing of fireworks and display within an radius of 250 metres of hospitals and Schools. He added that the PESO circular in 2010 had banned the use of gundu, amittu, dynamite and kuzhiminni as they were not a part of the 1.800 standard fireworks items approved by PESO.
