Copyright thehindu
The district administration has instructed different government departments to work together to ensure smooth conduct of the annual Kalpathy chariot festival beginning on November 7. District Collector M.S. Madhavikutty said that every department must carry out its duties to ensure that the festival goes off without a hitch, especially as a huge number of visitors are expected from all over the State. The 10-day festival will peak when the chariots of the four major temples start rolling along the streets of Kalpathy from November 14. Large crowds are expected on November 14, 15 and 16. The convergence of chariots on November 16 evening will mark the climax of the festival. The deities from four temples, namely Sree Visalakshi Sametha Viswanatha Swamy Temple at Kalpathy, Sree Lakshmi Narayana Perumal Temple at Old Kalpathy, Mandakkarai Sree Maha Ganapathy Temple at New Kalpathy, and Sree Prasanna Maha Ganapathy Temple at Chathappuram, will be taken out in procession on chariots during the festival’s last three days. The police, who will be in charge of law and order, traffic regulation and crowd management, were asked to rope in sufficient volunteers and to prepare an emergency evacuation plan. The municipal authorities were advised to control the number of commercial shops while giving licence. The municipality was advised to clear garbage every day and to clean up the Kalpathy river bank ahead of the festival. The municipality is responsible for road repairs, prevention of road encroachments, food safety and sanitation. The Food Safety Department will have to ensure that the norms are being maintained. Fire and Rescue Services Department was asked to deploy a special unit at Kalpathy on the festival days. The Health Department will have to ensure ambulance services and open a control room. Kerala Water Authority was given responsibility to repair all public taps and to ensure round-the-clock water supply during the festival. Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) was asked to tighten loose power cables and to lift low level cables in such a way as to facilitate the movement of chariots. The Animal Husbandry Department will ensure the fitness of elephants used during the festival, while the Social Forestry Division will check if the rules for domestic elephant care are being followed. The overall coordination of the festival is the responsibility of the Revenue Department with the RDO as the nodal officer and Palakkad Tahsildar as assistant nodal officer. The festival organsing committee involving representatives of the four temples were asked to set up surveillance cameras at various points and to alert the police about those chosen for pulling the chariots in advance. The organisers will have to arrange three ambulances apart from that of the Health Department.
