District Collector’s order: Local holiday in specified panchayats on April 7

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The District Collector has declared a local half-day holiday on Tuesday, April 7, to mark the biennial festival at the Panimoola Devi Temple. The holiday will take effect from noon onwards and applies to the Andoorkonam, Pothencode, Vembayam, Manikkal, and Mangalapuram panchayats. It also covers areas previously under the Kazhakoottam and Sreekaryam panchayats that have since been merged into the Thiruvananthapuram Municipality.

While the order applies to all government and educational institutions within these specific regions, the Collector clarified that it does not extend to offices or staff members involved in general election duties.

In addition to the local holiday, the state government has issued a mandate regarding the upcoming elections, banning the sale of liquor from 7:00 PM on the final day of campaigning until 7:00 PM on April 9, the day of polling. A similar ban will also be in effect on May 4 to coincide with the counting of votes.