Penang govt submits plan for Thaipusam chariot processions

 

The Thaipusam chariot procession was a low-key affair last January with only 10 devotees allowed to take part.

GEORGE TOWN: Penang’s Thaipusam festivities will be toned down significantly this year for fear of a Covid-19 surge, with strict crowd control measures proposed.

The proposed measures have been forwarded by the Penang government to the National Security Council (MKN) for approval.

They include the following:

• There will be two chariot processions. Those following the golden chariot will be limited to 1,000 registered devotees. It is learnt that the organisers behind the silver chariot had also asked for a separate 1,000-person quota.
• No kavadis will be allowed. Refreshment stalls and other stalls that used to line the procession route will also be banned. The temple committee will instead provide food packs at a designated site.
• Smashing of coconuts along the route has also been banned for the second straight year.
• There will be a strict limit on the number of devotees allowed at the Hilltop Murugan Temple. Only 500 people will be allowed at any one time, with strict crowd control.
• Devotees will only be allowed to carry “paal kodam” (milk pots). These devotees must register themselves using mobile phones at the site and must be fully vaccinated.

Deputy chief minister II P Ramasamy said MKN was expected to reveal the detailed SOPs for the Penang Thaipusam festivities next week.

He said police, Rela and other uniformed personnel would be patrolling the temple grounds and surrounding areas during the chariot procession.

Ramasamy said the entire festivities, including prayers, will be live-streamed on social media.

According to Hilltop Murugan Temple chief R Subramaniam, the golden chariot procession was expected to make several stops, including at the Kamatchi Amman temple on Dato Keramat Road, Amman temple (Lorong Kulit), Muniswarar Temple (Jalan Gottlieb), and the Sri Meenakshi Sundraeswar Temple.

He said the wait time to get up to the Hilltop Murugan Temple will be “very long”, as the temple must be sanitised every 30 minutes.

He also reminded all to have their phones ready with MySejahtera as proof of their vaccination status. Others without smartphones must show their vaccination cards as proof.

“We appeal to the elderly who are unable to endure long queues to stay at home.”

Penang Hindu Endowments Board commissioner RSN Rayer also pleaded with all devotees to pray at home in view of the danger posed by the Omicron variant.

In January last year, the annual Thaipusam chariot procession was held in both Kuala Lumpur and Penang but subject to strict SOPs, with only 10 devotees allowed to accompany the chariot.- FMT