THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The PWD and Corporation roads in the Karikkakom, Kadakampalli, Chakkai, Pettah, Anamukham and Vettucaud wards will be renovated before March 15, Devaswom Minister V S Sivakumar has said. This is in view of the Pongala festival at Karikkakom Sree Chamundi temple from March 28 to April 3.
The high-level meeting held at Secretariat entrusted District Collector K N Satheesh with the task of taking necessary steps for declaring a local holiday in Karikkakom, Kadakampalli, Chakkai, Pettah, Anamukham and Vettucaud wards on April 3, the Pongala Day.
The water supply distribution under the aegis of the Corporation and the Water Authority will be streamlined. A Karikkakom pump house will be set up for 24-hour drinking water distribution, while the Revenue Department will make more water tanks available.
The meeting also decided to set up a temporary Police Control Room for beefing up the security and deploy more women constables on the Pongala Day.
Sivakumar announced that traffic control would be made more efficient and a temporary KSRTC Station Master office would be opened on the temple premises. Thirty-per cent more buses would be scheduled on the Pongala Day than last year. The KSEB would install 800 street lights with the assistance of the City Corporation.
A temporary Fire and Rescue Services unit also will be set up on the temple premises and Inland Water Navigation Department will construct four temporary bridges over the T S Canal.
The progress of the works will be assessed in March, said the Minister.
M A Vahid MLA, District Collector K N Satheesh, City Police Commissioner T S Jose, Councillors P K Gopakumar, Lata Mangeshkar, S Chandini, P Padmakumar and S Suresh Kumar and senior staff members of the various departments participated in the meeting.