A total of 850 bulls have been registered for the jallikattu to be held at Palamedu, one of the three arenas renowned for the bull sport in Madurai district, on Thursday.
The event, which is happening after two years of ban, will also see participation of around 1600 bull tamers. Elaborate arrangements have been made by the district administration in coordination with the village committee to ensure that all safety measures are followed.
Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao, who reviewed the arrangements on Wednesday late in the evening, told the media that 19 medical and 10 veterinary teams would be deployed for the event along with eight ambulances, two veterinary ambulances and four fire fighting trucks.
To avoid overcrowding of bull tamers on the jallikattu arena, the Collector said, a batch of 100 tamers would be sent in turns every one hour. He added that four LED screens had been set up at vantage points for the people to view the event.
Around 1,600 police personnel had been deployed for security. The jallikattu will commence at 8 a.m. and end by 4 p.m.
Jallikattu at Thottappanaickanur
Meanwhile, jallikattu was organized after a gap of 16 years in Thottappanaickanur near Usilampatti on Wednesday, in which 230 bulls and around 300 tamers participated. Police sources said that seven persons sustained injuries but none required hospitalisation.
Villagers said that jallikattu was stopped after 2000 owing to disputes within the village over organising the event and no efforts were made subsequently to conduct it.
It was decided to hold the event this year since the government had now made provisions to conduct the bull sport anywhere, provided all regulations were followed, the villagers said.
