The Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, chaired the first ministerial meeting on the National Task Force on Thaipoosam Cavadee 2023, on Wednesday afternoon, in Port Louis.
Thaipoosam Cavadee 2023 will be celebrated at national level on 04 February 2023 and the fasting period will start on 26 January.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism, Mr Louis Steven Obeegadoo; the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management, Dr Mohammad Anwar Husnoo; the Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Renganaden Padayachy; the Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Mr Georges Pierre Lesjongard; the Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Mr Kavydass Ramano; the Minister of National Infrastructure and Community Development, Mr Mahendranuth Sharma Hurreeram; the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal; the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck, and other Ministers and personalities were present at the meeting.
Several representatives from Government institutions and socio-cultural associations were also present to discuss and share their proposals so that Thaipoosam Cavadee takes place in the best conditions.
In a statement, Prime Minister Jugnauth said that it was very fruitful, with the majority of proposals from the different socio-cultural representatives to be considered. He added that the main objective is to organise the festival in the best possible conditions while recalling that the sanitary conditions in the country have greatly improved. He however appealed to the population to be inoculated with the second booster dose.
Task Force Meeting
During the meeting, Vice-Prime Minister Husnoo said that arrangements will be made so that appropriate lighting facilities within the ‘kovil’ premises are provided. Excavated roads will also be reinstated, he said, and ‘salles vertes’ will be erected near the temples. He added that fire services will be on stand-by at strategic places and that water tankers will be made available in places where there are huge groups of people. Furthermore, he pointed out that river banks will be cleaned.
As for Minister Lesjongard, he highlighted that roads where the procession will take place will be asphalted. As regards water facilities, he underlined that the Central Water Authority will ensure a regular water supply. Arrangements will also be made to ensure that street lighting is working properly.
Minister Ramano highlighted that all necessary arrangements will be made as regards the embellishment and cleaning of rivers as well as provision of bins and garbage bags.
For his part, Minister Hurreeram stated that posters depicting Lord Muruga will be distributed at least one month before Thaipoosam Cavadee. He also spoke about provision of mobile toilets and construction works of footpaths which will start in December this year.
The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Jagutpal, cautioned against the spread of gastro-enteritis and COVID-19 and urged the population to take all sanitary precautions. He also appealed to the citizens to get their second booster dose against COVID-19.
As for representatives from socio-cultural organisations, they expressed gratitude to the Government for taking on board their requests and commended the efforts of the authorities for the early preparations in view of Thaipoosam Cavadee. They also made a request that all works be completed before the start of the fast, that is before 26 January 2023.
