'Will bring back lost sheen of Thrissur Pooram'; central govt team reaches Thrissur following MoS Suresh Gopi's instruction

THRISSUR: Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Wednesday vowed to bring back the lost sheen of the iconic Thrissur Pooram during the coming year’s festival. The union minister of state revealed this in a meeting chaired to discuss the issues related to Pooram management. The meeting is in progress at the Collectorate.

"There was a time when Thrissur Pooram was conducted beautifully and without even the slightest conflict we enjoyed watching it. However, the pooram of 2024 went through some unfortunate incidents and brought a taint to the festival. Pooram is the right of people and it is something inexplicable to the lovers of this festival. We will bring back the same aura but should conform to the rules set by the high court. That is law and we can’t surpass that.” Said MoS Suresh Gopi.

The meeting was called to discuss new technical introductions needed to apprise the court about the emotional connection that the festival has with the people of Thrissur. A total of three to four meetings will be required.

"I have explained in detail about the situation to union minister Piyush Goyal. he immediately took action and a central government team was sent to Thrissur. The Center has also sent Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) experts to study more about the explosives, light and other elements used in the festival."

The 2024 pooram was marred by heavy police restrictions which even resulted in a melee between devotees and police. Police Commissioner Ankit Asokan was later transferred by the government for his terrible management of the festival.