KOCHI: District Collector NSK Umesh has denied permission for conducting fireworks as part of the annual festival at Maradu Kottaram temple to be held on February 21 and 22. The permission was denied in the wake of the blast at Tripunithura, and on the basis of safety concerns raised by the tahsildar, Kochi city police commissioner, and district fire officer.
It was in December last year that the Kottaram Bagavathi Temple Devaswom secretary sought permission from the district collector for a LE6 category licence for organising a firework display as part of the temple festival. The temple committee submitted a plan for conducting fireworks at a school ground near the temple which can be barricaded to prevent people from coming close to the area. The committee had also submitted that temporary arrangements would be made to store explosives near the ground. The collector sought reports from the tahsildar, Kochi city police commissioner and district fire officer in this regard to decide on issuing the licence.
In the report submitted by Kanayanoor tahsildar, it was stated that there was no facility on the ground to conduct fireworks following the norms stipulated in the explosives rules by the Petroleum Explosive Safety Organisation (PESO). There is a school, ITI, shops and residences near the ground where the proposed fireworks display is to be organised.
In his order, the collector pointed out that a person named Binoj K B had filed a writ petition in the High Court seeking a ban on fireworks at the Maradu Kottaram temple.
On November 3, 2023, the court banned fireworks at religious places after a specified time. A division bench upheld a single bench decision on November 7, 2023, in this regard.