Pooram may be scaled down, govt convenes meet today

Thrissur: The edition of the famous Thrissur Pooram this year is likely to be scaled down in view of the explosion at the fireworks production unit claiming 14 lives. Both Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devaswoms, the two major participants of Pooram, have expressed their willingness to abide by govt's suggestions in this regard. Late evening reports said both Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devaswoms have decided to conduct the Pooram without fireworks display this year. The remaining Pooram events will be held in the traditional manner. This will be communicated to govt officials in the proposed meeting on Thursday.Govt has convened a meeting of representatives of all ten participating temples of Pooram on Thursday.Speaking to the media after the online cabinet meeting on Wednesday, revenue minister K Rajan and devaswom minister V N Vasavan said the manner in which Thrissur Pooram can be celebrated this year will be finalised at that meeting. High court has granted permission to conduct the meeting, said the ministers.Following the accident at the fireworks unit, Paramekkavu Devaswom secretary Rajesh said entire Kerala was under the grip of grief. A balance will have to be struck between the intense grief and the need for retaining ritualistic aspects of Thrissur Pooram, he added.Palakkad collector Madhavikutty M S reportedly issued a stop memo for the unit located at Muthalamada, producing firework items for Paramekkavu, after excessive quantities of explosives were detected. She said inspections by officials found that much higher quantities of explosives than the licensed quantity were stocked there.Several workers who miraculously escaped the explosion on Tuesday said they are planning to call it quits from the sector. Some of them were associated with the fireworks production sector for two to three decades. Shocked by the accident, which claimed at least 14 lives and injured several others, they are forced to dissociate from the sector."I don't want to continue in this business. The explosion was a massive shock. We were all working as a family at the unit, sharing jokes, teasing each other, eating together. Several of them lost their lives within seconds in the explosion. We believed this business to be blessed with truth, now we feel betrayed. I won't continue in this sector . I don't want to eke out a living from this, I will work somewhere else,'' said Velayudhan, who has been in the fireworks production sector for about 20 years. "My children are emphatic that I should stop working in the fireworks sector,'' he added.Wilson from Velur, who also had a miraculous escape, said he was in panic due to the explosion and was rethinking whether he should continue.