Stalled Malabar River Festival gets go-ahead

Kozhikode: Malabar River Festival, which suffered a blow after a tiff with then district collector who cited financial burden, will be held from July 20 to 23 with the support of the incumbent, UV Jose, a former tourism director. The fifth edition hosts the International White Water Kayaking Championship 2017 at the same venue - Thusharagiri, near Kodenchery here. The organisers are Kerala Tourism, District Tourism Promotion Council and Madras Fun Tools. The highlight of this year is the presence of more than ten kayakers from the state who are undergoing specialised training in rafting and kayaking from an international coach at the Kerala Kayaking Academy here.

V.D. Joseph of the Academy said the fest was in a dilemma after its fourth edition due to the lackadaisical attitude of both DTPC and district administration. “The then collector who was the chairman of DTPC was responsible for releasing funds but citing various issues, he held it back," he said. "The international kayaking stars who arrived for the festival were disappointed with the attitude of the administrators. But we are fortunate this year that they supported a bigger event with more participation of foreigners." This year they are expecting more than 100 foreign kayakers here.