Thrissur: Union Minister of State for Tourism Suresh Gopi convened a meeting to discuss the conduct of Thrissur pooram at Thrissur collectorate here on Wednesday. City Police Commissioner R Ilango, PESO ( Petroleum & Explosives Safety Organization) officials and representatives from Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi Devaswom participated in the meeting. Minister K Rajan attended the meeting online.

The ban on entry of public to Swaraj round and other restrictions imposed by the police had ignited protests during Thrissur pooram held in April.

Suresh Gopi said that the guidelines set by the High Court for the Pooram must be adhered to. “However, if there had been any emotional interventions, they need to be addressed. Today's meeting was part of the effort to inform the court about this issue and to make technical changes to restore Pooram to its original grandeur. There will be four to five more such meetings. Pooram should be transformed into a festival of the people. Following the request to Union Minister Piyush Goyal, he has sent a team for this purpose,” said Suresh Gopi.

At the same time, the Devaswoms presented the current legal obstacles related to fireworks during the meeting. It was discussed that permission should be sought from the High Court to allow people to safely view the fireworks from Swaraj Round. District Collector Arjun Pandian, City Police Commissioner R Ilango, PESO officials, and representatives from the Department of Archaeology Suresh Gopi visited Thekkinkadu Maidan, where the Thrissur Pooram fireworks take place. Currently, people can watch the fireworks at a distance of 100 meters at Swaraj Round. The possibility of reducing this distance to 60 meters was discussed during the meeting.