Date:12/08/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/08/12/stories/2006081206900300.htm

Kerala - Alappuzha

Nehru Trophy Boat Race today

Staff Reporter

District Collector denies reports of security threats to the race

ALAPPUZHA: All arrangements have been completed for the Nehru Trophy Boat Race at Punnamada Lake here on Saturday, the organisers have said.

Collector K.R. Muraleedharan denied reports of security threats to the race.

He said there was no intelligence report of threat to Nehru Trophy. A large posse of police had been deployed in the town to oversee the security arrangements.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will inaugurate the race at 2 p.m.

The Ministers who are expected to witness the race include Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac, Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Cooperation Minister G. Sudhakaran, Minister for Sports M. Vijayakumar and Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran. DGP Raman Srivastava is also expected witness the race.

As many as 60 boats will compete in various categories. The contest in the snake boat category will be the hotly contested event. The winner in the snake boat category will be presented the Nehru Trophy. As many as 16 snake boats will participate in the race.

Steel snakeboats

Meanwhile, representatives of Aries Marine and Engineering Services, owners of the newly constructed steel snakeboat, have demanded that their boat be allowed to take part in the exhibition rowing event of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race. At a press conference here on Friday, S.K. Sohan Roy, chief executive officer of the group, said the Kerala High Court in a petition submitted by them had opined that though the petitioner might not have a legal right to insist on the participation of their boat in the event, the decision of the committee that organises the race not to allow steel snakeboat to participate in the contest might not be in keeping with the object of conducting the race that aims to attract tourists.

Mr. Sohan said the Nehru Trophy Boat Race Society had earlier agreed to allow them to participate in the exhibition rowing event but later revoked its decision. He said the society should give compensation to the Aries group if it was not allowed to participate in the race. He said the company would file public interest litigation, if it was not allowed to participate in the race.

Mr. Sohan said the steel boat was an innovation in the snakeboat construction and it was constructed scientifically. He claimed that the steel snakeboat would not sink and would have more speed than wooden ones.

Mr. Sohan alleged that factionalism in the CPI(M) was the reason for the problems faced by them, as they had submitted application for getting permission through C.K. Sadasivan, MLA, known to be a supporter of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan. According to Mr. Sohan, the faction that opposes Mr. Achuthanandan had scuttled their chances.