Kollam temple fire: Re-birth for scribe after place change

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The politicians are responsible for the massive fireworks tragedy that struck the Puttingal temple in his neighbourhood, according to  S. Lallu, one of the lucky ones to survive the disaster.  It was they who  granted  permission to hold the fireworks at the last minute against the order of  district collector A. Shainamol, according to Lallu,  chief broadcast journalist with Asianet News hailing from Paravur.  He says it’s a re-birth for him as one of his friends, Venu, had pleaded with him and their friends to come and sit on his terrace from the place where they at first sat to watch the fireworks.

Lallu, 35, was looking forward to attending the final day of the seven-day-long festival at Puttingal temple, with a 200-year history.  Lallu recalled that he along with his friends first sat near the vantage point near the temple as in the previous years, which was some 150 metres away from the accident spot. But his friend Venu persuaded them to come and sit atop his terrace.  Otherwise, it would have been a different story for them.

“At first, I didn’t understand that tragedy had struck as long with a fireball there was a deafening sound. Immediately, the power went off and we heard the  screams. We didn’t know what to do as we realised that electric lines had fallen,”  said a grief-stricken Lallu, who is also the anchor of Chithram Vichitram, a popular satire programme.

Soon fire engines came and splashed water.  Lallu and his friends came down and could see only dead bodies all over the place where they had first sat, and most of them were  dismembered. Several local buses carried the injured to the nearby hospitals.

“More than the locals who had thronged the temple to watch the fireworks, it was visitors from neighbouring areas who were killed,” added Lallu.

Activists seek ban on fireworks
The anti-firework activists have asked the state government to impose a blanket ban on fireworks across the state for three months, including for Thrissur Pooram, in view of the tragedy in Kollam. They said that as many as 20,000 kg of gun power was used during Thrissur Pooram by Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi devaswoms. The safety distance of 100 metres from the blasting ground was not strictly followed as mentioned in the display licence issued by the district collectors for every firework. The functionaries of Heritage Animal Task Force based here forwarded a petition to the Chief Secretary and Home Secretary along with the standing order of Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) issued  on December 8,  2009 laying down specific guidelines.