MADURAI: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami along with Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam will flag off the famous Alanganallur jallikattu on January 16, said Tamil Nadu Minister for Revenue, Disaster Management and Information Technology, RB Udhayakumar here on Thursday.
Inspecting the preparatory works at Alanganallur, Udhayakumar said the jallikattu events at Avaniyapuram, Palamedu and Alanganallur have been scheduled for January 14, 15 and 16 respectively. The registration for bull tamers would be held on January 9 and for the bulls on January 11.
The medical camps to issue fitness certificates and conduct RT-PCR tests for event coordinators, bull owners along with their assistants and tamers would be held at the Panchayat Union Elementary Schools on January 10 and 11 at Avaniyapuram, January 11 and 12 at Palamedu and January 12 and 13 at Alanganallur respectively. The district administration would also accept a medical fitness certificate from authorised doctors, he said.
He further added that the district administration has been framing plans for the chief guests and spectators from other states and countries and ensure all safety measures were in place. The public health and animal husbandry departments have also been working on the medical camps and arrangements for the bulls.
Further, spectators would be allowed to enter the gallery only after thermal scanning. They should also wear a mask and have a hand sanitizer. "In a bid to avoid crowding at the gallery, the number of LED screens to live telecast the event would be increased," Udhayakumar stated.
As per the decision of the event coordinators, a bull which participates in one event could not take part in other places. "The coordinators have passed the decision to ensure equal opportunity was provided to all bull owners, as there are many COVID-19 restrictions this year," he added.
Responding to allegations on hybrid bulls being allowed in jallikattu, he said only indigenous bulls were allowed after being certified by the Animal Husbandry Board.