Governor to flag off procession to mark Onam fete conclusion on Tuesday

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Governor Rajendra Viswanath Arlekar will flag off the closing procession of the Onam celebration at Manaveeyam Veedhi in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, state ministers, and cultural icons are expected to participate in the event, General Education Minister V Sivankutty said in a press conference on Sunday. The procession from Vellayambalam to East Fort will start by 4 pm and feature nearly 1,000 artists performing 91 art forms. Reflecting the theme unity in diversity, the procession will exhibit various art forms from Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. The Indian armys band team will also be part of the event. It will also see 59 floats, under themes of Keralas culture, tradition, cinema, literature, womens safety, empowerment, science, and technology. Additional 60 floats, depicting the state governments developmental activities, will also be there. All the floats have been prepared by adhering to the green protocol, Sivankutty said. He also urged the public to follow the instructions given to them. Traffic regulations will be imposed from Kowdiar to Eanchakkal from 2 pm on the day of procession. Vehicle parking will not be allowed along the roads through which the procession will pass, City Police Commissioner Thomson Jose said. Parking grounds have, however, been arranged in different schools and colleges of the city. Diversions from key roads will also be arranged for other travellers, as other key roads will also fall under regulations. Ambulances, fire services, etc will be deployed as part of safety precautions, tourism director Shikha Surendran said. Drinking water facilities will be set up for people to avoid the use of plastic bottles. Schools and government institutions in the city will not be functioning in the afternoon.