Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate this year’s snakeboat regatta, Uthrittathi Vallamkali, in the Pampa at Aranmula on September 8.
The Palliyoda Seva Sanghom (PSS), the apex body of the Palliyoda Karayogams that own snake boats, 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 the Sree Parthasarathy temple at Aranmula.
He said the snakeboat procession and race would be organised in traditional style in A and B categories.
He said the rowing of the boat should be in tune with the ‘thei..thei’ beats based on the rhythmic Vanchippattu written by Ramapurathu Warrier in Nathonnatha metre.
The annual grant would not be given to the snakeboat crew who violated 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.
Grant
Dr. Pillai said each Palliyodam (snakeboat) would get an annual grant of ₹1 lakh. He said the 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.
Finance Minister Thomas Isaac; Water Resources Minister Mathew T. Thomas; Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran; and Kerala Tourism Development Corporation chairman M. Vijayakumar, will address the
inaugural ceremony.
Safety measures
Dr. Pillai said adequate safety measures would be ensured for the regatta.
The Irrigation wing of the Water Resources
Department has started removing the mudbanks, from the race course, that posed a threat to the safe movement of snakeboat.
