KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday directed the executive engineer, PWD, Tirur, to inspect the premises where Mahamagha Mahotsavam (Kumbh Mela) is being held, with specific directives to check the bridges and suggest steps for strengthening them to facilitate large-scale movement of pilgrims.
Justice C Jayachandran directed that the inspections be held on Wednesday in the presence of the SP.
The court issued the direction while considering a petition filed by M K Vinayakumar, general convener of the Mahamagha Mahotsava Samithi, Thirunavaya, seeking to quash a stop memo issued by the Thirunavaya village officer against preparatory works being carried out on the banks of the Bharathapuzha river for the.
The court observed that the stop memo had substantially lost “teeth”, as the district collector had agreed to the requirement of producing a safety certificate from an approved government agency. It noted that the order did not contain any prohibition on proceeding with the mahotsavam.
The senior government pleader submitted that the authorities had not taken a strict stand to interdict the event’s conduct. However, the government expressed serious concern over the safety of the bridge, especially as around 10 lakh people are expected to attend the mahotsavam.