PRESIDENT’S TROPHY BOAT RACE AT ASHTAMUDI LAKE, KOLLAM

PRESIDENT’S TROPHY BOAT RACE AT ASHTAMUDI LAKE, KOLLAM

Tennis celebrity Sania Mirza will inaugurate the Second President’s Trophy Boat Race to be held on the Asramam creek of the Ashtamudi lake on Thursday 1^ST November,2012.The inauguration function to be held in the afternoon at the Boat Jetty Junction will be presided over by Labour Minister Shibu Baby John.Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation K.C. Venugopal will take the salute of the sail past and Union Minister of State for Labour Kodikunnil Suresh will inaugurate the mass drill.Fifty-eight boats of various categories, including 18 snake-boats, are participating in the event.Tourism Minster A.P. Anil Kumar will present mementoes to the sponsors of the event and Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash will present mementoes to the dignitaries on the dais. The souvenir of the event, Ponnodam, will be launched by KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala by presenting a copy to Mayor Prasanna Earnest. Parvathy who created the logo for the boat race will be honoured by K.N. Balagopal, MP.

The valedictory function to be presided over by Sports Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar will be inaugurated by Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan.In view of the event, traffic restrictions will come into force in the city from 2 p.m. on Thursday. Parking of vehicles will not be permitted along the four-lane road from Kappalandimukku to the Taluk Office junction, the Hospital Road up to Chamakada, along the Lakshminada-Thekkekacheri road, the Chinnakada-Muneeshwarankovil road, the Sankar’s Hospital-Asramam road and the SBI junction-Police Club road.Vehicles of those coming to witness the race will have to be parked at Asramam Maidan after arriving through Sankar’s Hospital junction or Kadappakada junction. Entry to Asramam Maidan through Pullikada Road will be banned.Those leaving the maidan after the race will have to use this road and the Nair’s Hospital road.These two roads will be declared one way from the afternoon on November 1.

Those coming from Thevally side to view the race will have to park their vehicles at the Government Boys High School grounds. Since the KSRTC depot is situated in the vicinity of the main venue of the race, KSRTC buses will not be permitted into the depot from 2 p.m. on that day. In case of any help the police can be contacted on phone number 100, 1090, 0472-2742072 or 0474-2795086.Police patrol has also been imposed along the 1070 course of the lake where the races would be held. The whole area will be covered by CCTV net work, according to City Police Commissioner Debesh Kumar Behera.

Prof. John Kurakar