Thrissur seeks to revive fireworks manufacturing cluster, balancing modern safety with traditional practices amid festival regulations
A demand has been raised to revive the State government’s proposal to establish a fireworks manufacturing cluster in Thrissur on the lines of Sivakasi, during
A demand has been raised to revive the State government’s proposal to establish a fireworks manufacturing cluster in Thrissur on the lines of Sivakasi, during a consultative meeting on modernising fireworks displays at temple festivals. The suggestion emerged at a meeting convened here on Monday to discuss safer and more contemporary methods of conducting fireworks as part of Cochin Devaswom Board festivals. Participants pointed out that most accidents occur at manufacturing units rather than at display sites, where regulatory oversight is stricter.
The meeting, held as per directions from the Revenue (Devaswom) department, was attended by temple advisory committees and festival organisers. While some participants supported transitioning to modern fireworks with lower noise levels and greater emphasis on visual effects, others favoured continuing traditional practices, reflecting a divided opinion. The fireworks cluster project was initially proposed during the tenure of former Industries Minister A.C. Moideen, with plans to set up a safe facility in Talappilly taluk.
Though an allocation was made in the 2018-19 State budget, the project did not take off as there were changes in the portfolio of the Minister. Subsequently, a meeting led by then Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar had directed officials to expedite steps to establish fireworks units on 30 acres of land under the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation in Thalappilly taluk in Thrissur. The aim was to ensure a steady and regulated supply of fireworks for Thrissur Pooram and other central Kerala festivals.
However, the project did not materialise, including plans to secure approvals from agencies such as PESO. Today’s meeting was attended by Cochin Devaswom Board President K. Ravindran, members, Devaswom Commissioner S.R. Udayakumar, Secretary P. Bindu, Deputy Commissioner K. Sunil Kumar, representatives of participating temples of Thrissur Pooram, and officials of the Devaswom Board.
The BriefWire