Cylinders with hydrogen gas used to fill balloons have been banned as part of preventive measures during the day-long annual River Festival, which marks the end of the five-day Pongal festivities in the district on January 25 (Sunday), District Collector K. Tharpagaraj said on Thursday.
The festival will be held across the dry Cheyyar river maintained by the Water Resources Department (WRD) near Kalasapakkam town in Tiruvannamalai. Devotees from farming villages in neighbouring districts like Vellore, Ranipet, Villupuram, Tirupattur and Kancheepuram are expected to attend the event. The festival is celebrated only across the Cheyyar river in the district every year.
The ban comes in the wake of the death of a 50-year-old woman who died when a cylinder with hydrogen gas used to fill balloons exploded at Manalurpettai in Kallakurichi district on January 19. At least 12 others were injured. “As the safety of devotees, who are expected to attend in large numbers, remains a top priority, a ban on hydrogen-filled balloons will be in place for the festival,” Mr. Tharpagaraj told The Hindu.
The Collector also chaired a review meeting with authorities of various departments, including police, revenue, fire and rescue services, water resources (WRD), forests and local bodies on the preparedness for the annual festival at the taluk office in Kalasapakkam town on Thursday. Later, along with Superintendent of Police M. Sudhakar, he inspected the dry river bed where the celebrations would be held.
Officials of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) said that as per tradition, main deities of the Arunachaleshwara temple in Tiruvannamalai and other local temples in Kalasapakkam would be brought to the river in a procession where rituals would be performed for betterment of the lives of farmers in the region.
According to DRDA officials, the river festival is expected to start around 1 p.m and end by 8 p.m. Temporary shops, including eateries, fancy and decorative items, will be allowed to function at the event venue for a nominal fee. Around 200 police personnel, including women constables, would be deployed for security during the festival. Staff of fire and rescue services and forest departments will also be roped in as crackers would be burst as part of the celebrations.
