Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate this year’s snakeboat regatta, Uthrittathi Vallamkali, in the waters of the Pampa at Aranmula on the Uthrittathi day on September 8.
The Palliyoda Seva Sanghom (PSS), apex body of the Palliyoda Karayogams that own snakeboats, has started preparations for the smooth conduct of the annual event, sanghom president K.G. Sasidharan Pillai has said.
Dr. Pillai said 52 snakeboats would take part in the regatta to be held in connection with the idol installation anniversary at Sree Parthasarathy Temple on the banks of the Pampa at Aranmula.
He said the rowing of the boat should be in tune with the beats based on the Vanchippattu written by Ramapurathu Warrier.
Grant for snakeboats
Dr. Pillai said each Palliyodam (snakeboat) would get an annual grant of ₹1 lakh. He said local MLA Veena George had informed the sanghom that the government had agreed to enhance the grant for Palliyodams from ₹10 lakh to ₹25 lakh on the basis of the PSS request. The annual grant would not be given to the crew that violate the guidelines for the event fixed by the PSS. Moreover, such snakeboats would be debarred from taking part in the Vallamkali for the next three years, he said.
T.M. Thomas Issac, Finance Minister; Mathew T. Thomas, Water Resources Minister; Kadakampally Surendran, Tourism Minister; and M.Vijayakumar, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation chairman, will also address the inaugural ceremony.
Safety measures
Dr. Pillai said adequate safety measures would be ensured for the annual regatta. Though a bit late, the irrigation wing of the Water Resources Department had started removing the mud banks that had been posing threat to the movement of snakeboats through the race course, he said.
