Preparations have begun to celebrate Valvil Ori festival, flower expo and tourist ‘vizha’ in Kolli Hills on August 1 and 2.
The district administration is organising the festival every year to recall the glory of King Valvil Ori who ruled over Kolli Hills in 200 AD. The king is known for his archery skills and also for his generosity.
At a meeting held to discuss the conduct of the festival Collector V. Dakshinamoorthy had asked private organisations and political parties not to erect advertisement materials including banners and flex materials during the festival to be held at the hilltop. He said that advertisement materials will be erected only by the district administration and also asked officials to ensure all basic amenities in place during the two-day festival.
Workers have begun clearing the park, boat house and Ghat Road and other tourist spots in the hilltop. Officials said that graffiti at few places were removed and whitewashing is done for the festival.
The Collector said that interested social organisations who want to garland the statue can register themselves in the office of the Superintendent of Police by July 30 and get the time allotted for garlanding. Also, to protect the environment, plastic materials will not be allowed atop the hills, he added.
The Collector said that the police, revenue, forest and highways department officials would monitor the movement of tourists and also check for usage of banned plastic materials. He also said that individuals or organisations who wish to serve free meals to the tourists can serve it one km away from the auditorium where the festival is to be held. Permission should be obtained from the police and Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department for serving free meals, he added.
Cultural programmes, folk dances, dramas highlighting the life of Valvil Ori and programmes by school children would be held at the auditorium.
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