Govt retracts Thrissur Pooram reforms after facing minister's wrath

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, Revenue Minister K. Rajan severely criticized the action of the Forest Department in bringing tightened guidelines for the parading of elephants in Pooram. The minister, who is also a native of Thrissur, lashed out saying that the newer reforms would take away the sheen of the Thrissur Pooram. He also warned these 'reforms' to backfire on LDF in the upcoming polls in Thrissur.

Forest Minister A. K. Saseendran argued that the department's intervention was for security reasons, but he received no support from other ministers. Then Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan suggested that the two ministers discuss and submit the proposal. Based on that, the cabinet meeting decided to revise the order and issue a new one.

Following this, the forest department cancelled the earlier order that demanded fitness certificates for elephants participating in pooram from a team of veterinary doctors and a special team of experts from the forest department.

The earlier decided 80-member Rapid Response Team was cut short to just 5 members. Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devawsoms had earlier strongly protested against the reforms brought in by the government.