The Palliyoda Seva Sanghom (PSS) and various government departments have made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the annual Uthrittathi snakeboat regatta (Vallamkali) to be held in the race course of river Pampa at Aranmula on Sunday afternoon.
Work on the main pavillion that houses the stage at the PWD Sathram premises is over.
Superintendent of Police K.K.Chellapan said as many as 400 personnel would be deployed at Aranmula, besides eight Deputy Superintendents of Police, 12 circle inspectors, 40 sub-inspectors and 75 woman constables on Sunday. Policemen in mufti would also be deployed on either banks of the river along the race course.
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PSS president K.V.Sambadevan said the organisers have made arrangements to serve meals to all devotees coming to the Sree Parthasarathy Temple on Sunday. The snake boat regatta on the Uthrittathi day in the month of Chingom is to commemorate the idol installation ceremony at the temple centuries ago.
He said as many as 42 snake boats would take part in the pageantry as well as the race on Sunday. The race will be held in A and B categories and the winners in both would be presented with Mannam Trophy.
Central Travancore Development Council chairman P.S.Nair would present a cash prize worth Rs. 25,001 each to the winners in the both `A’ and `B’ batches, the PSS leader said adding that 19 motorboats, including three speed boats, would be deployed in the Pampa on Sunday.
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Union Minister Kumari Selja will inaugurate the annual event at a function to be held at 1.30 p.m. Swami Amruthaswaroopananda, vice-president of Mata Amrithanadamayi Madhom, will light the ceremonial lamp on the occasion.
Minister for Home and Tourism Kodiyeri Balakrishnan will preside over the inaugural function. The snake boat pageantry will begin at 1.30 p.m. and N.K. Premachandran, Water Resources Minister, will
inaugurate the boat race later.
Minister for Youth Welfare M. Vijayakumar will release the souvenir brought out by the PSS on Aranmula and Devaswom Minister Kadannappally Ramachandran will release a brochure on the occasion.
Philipose Mar Chrysostum, senior Metropolitan of Mar Thoma Church and P. Parameswaran, Bharatiya Vichara Kendram director, will deliver benedictory speeches and P.K. Narayana Panicker, Nair Service Society general secretary, will deliver the keynote address.
P.J. Kurien, Rajya Sabha member, Kodikunnil Suresh and Anto Antony, MPs, K. Sivadasan Nair, K.C. Rajagopalan, Raju Abraham, P.C. Vishnunath, M. Murali and Joseph M. Puthusserry, MLAs, Ms. A. Santhakumari, District Panchayat president, and Thushar Vellappally, SNDP Yogam devaswom secretary, will also address the inaugural meet.