The Chandanapally Valiyapalli Church in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district has decided to forego fireworks during its annual feast on May 7-8, following the death of 15 people in an explosion at a cracker unit in Mundathikode on April 21.
There was widespread concern over using fireworks during the famed Thrissur Pooram on Sunday after the blast. The Kerala chapter of the Indian Medical Association and Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Mathews III had appealed to the Paramekkavu and Thiruvampady Devaswoms, who jointly organise the temple festival, to skip the fireworks, which the boards agreed to.
Chandanapally Valiyapalli Church on Saturday said the amount earmarked for fireworks would be used for charity. “After every fireworks mishap, precautions are taken to ensure such incidents are not repeated. However, the Mundathikode tragedy shows that their effectiveness often lasts only until the next tragedy,” Catholicos Baselios Marthoma Mathews III said.
Even before the fireworks tragedy, the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church had come out with a circular urging parishes to avoid fireworks during festivals.