Plastic will be strictly banned on the Attukal Bhagavathy temple premises and the Corporation wards that comprise the festival zone during the ten-day Attukal Pongala festival in February, District Collector K. Vasuki has said.
Green protocol will be followed in the 21 Corporation wards that comprise the festival zone, she said on Monday. This year, the festival will be held from February 12 to February 21. The famed Pongala offering, which draws large numbers of women from all over Kerala and neighbouring States, will be held on February 20.
The decision to ban plastic was taken at a meeting held on Monday to review the arrangements for the festival. The Collector requested devotees to avoid the use of plastic covers, plates, cups and bottles during the festival. Instead, they can use clay cups, steel vessels and palm plates, she said. Shops, including temporary ones that open during the festival, will be prevented from selling food in plastic containers. They should use brown paper covers for selling food, Ms. Vasuki said. Shops violating the ban will be shut.
Shops will also not be allowed to sell water in plastic bottles, she said. Steel plates and glasses required for the ‘Annadanam’ are available with the Corporation, its officials said. The Collector has requested the public to cooperate to keep the festivities eco-friendly.
Noise pollution
The police and the Kerala State Pollution Control Board have been instructed to conduct special drives to check noise pollution during the festival, Ms. Vasuki said. Additional police personnel will be deployed. The devotees have been told not to place hearths close to petrol pumps and KSEB transformers.
Food safety
The Food Safety Commissionerate and the Health Department will ensure the quality of food sold on the temple premises and hotels in the city. Medical teams and ambulances will be stationed at different points.
The KSRTC and Railways informed the meeting that they would conduct special services for the festival.
