THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A high-level coordination meeting to review the preparations for Karkidaka vavu bali has decided to make registration mandatory for priests to weed out bogus poojaris. There will be a ceiling on fees that can be levied by priests from the devotees. This will minimise the fleecing of those who take part in the annual ceremonies on August 2 to pay homage to ancestors.
The irrigation department has been asked to flush out water through the check dams beside Thiruvallam Parasurama temple every hour. Flushing will be done before and after ceremonies. The Devaswom Board said that eight bali avenues catering to around 1,500 people at a time will be opened at Thiruvallam. The corporation will deploy workers to clean ‘Bali Shistam’ continuously. Fire force will deploy boats with divers as a precaution as some devotees offer bali near a swirl in Thiruvallam river.
Further, a joint meeting of all departments chaired by Devasom Minister Kadakampally Surendran has called for immediate restoration of the traffic on the road to Papanasam beach, Varkala. The PWD road that goes to the beach had collapsed into the pond of Janardhanaswamy temple after a contractor unscientifically dredged the pond without strengthening the side wall.
Varkala MP V.Joy pointed out that unprecedented pandemonium could be caused if people were to use smaller roads to Papanasam. “Round-the-clock work has been going on and the chief engineer is stationed here,” PWD officials said. The vavu bali is expected to start at 4 a.m. and temporary arrangements have to be made to provide lighting to Shangumughom beach. The high mast lamps at Shangumughom have stopped functioning and the area is in darkness. Further, most life guards will be posted around this beach where the seas are rough.
Though the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) explained that drinking water will be given in tanker lorries, the minister was not happy. He asked them to explore the possibility of installing temporary reverse osmosis plants at Thiruvallam and Varkala. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation will run services to all bali points, including Veli, Aruvikkara, Aruvippiram, Kadinamkulam, Keraladityapuram, Kaladi and Thrivikramamangalam.
Police said temporary CCTV cameras will be installed at major locations to avoid theft, chain snatching and extortion. Travancore Devasom Board president Prayar Gopalakrishnan, Nemom MLA O. Rajagopal, corporation health standing committee chairperson K Sreekumar and city police commissioner Sparjan Kumar attended the meeting.
