Kerala gears up for Attukal Pongala festival; review meeting held

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 3 (PTI) Preparations for the annual Attukal Pongala festival, scheduled from February 23 to March 4, were reviewed at a meeting chaired by Kerala Education and Labour Minister V Sivankutty on Saturday.

Officials from various government departments attended the meeting to assess arrangements for the temple festival. The minister’s office said strict enforcement of the green protocol would be ensured during the event.

On the main Pongala day, March 3, as many as 3,640 police personnel will be deployed to maintain law and order in and around the temple premises and across the city.

A 24-hour medical team, including a paediatric specialist, will be stationed at the venue. Ambulances will be positioned at ten locations, and a round-the-clock medical control room will operate within the temple complex.

In view of burn injury risks, 10 per cent of beds in hospitals near the temple will be reserved, and private hospitals will also be included in the medical arrangements.

For sanitation, 3,500 workers will be deployed on the main day, and water will be supplied through 27 tankers on the eve of the festival. Arrangements have been made for the disposal of an estimated 300 tonnes of waste.

Authorities have directed 200 voluntary organisations involved in food distribution to strictly adhere to the Green Protocol. Ward-level meetings of these groups will be convened, and a 'green army' will be formed to strengthen the implementation of eco-friendly measures.

Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will operate 800 special bus services during the festival, up from 700 last year. Fire and rescue services will deploy 30 fire engines and 450 personnel across four sectors on Pongala day.

Railway officials said special and additional train services would also be arranged.

District Collector Anu Kumari directed officials to complete preparations before February 10. Sub-Collector Alfred O V will be appointed as the Pongala nodal officer.

The review meeting was attended by Food and Civil Supplies Minister G R Anil, Deputy Mayor Asha Nath, ward councillors, temple trust office-bearers, and officials from various departments.

During the Attukal Pongala, thousands of women devotees gather across the city to prepare offerings on brick hearths along the roads in devotion to the presiding deity of Attukal Bhagavathy Temple.

The festival is a grand annual Hindu event during which millions of women come together to prepare sweet offerings, known as Pongala, for the goddess, representing collective devotion, spiritual unity, and the triumph of virtue over evil. PTI LGK SSK