Kerala - Alappuzha   

Boat owners’ association not to boycott boat races

ALAPPUZHA: The Kerala Race Boat Owners’ Association has revoked its decision to boycott the Nehru Trophy Boat Race and other boat races this season. The association, which announced its decision in April this year and boycotted the 400-year-old Champakulam Moolam Boat Race last month, revoked the decision after a meeting with Sports Minister M. Vijayakumar and Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan recently.

The decision was announced after the State committee meeting of the association at Thalavadi here on Thursday. Association president K.P. Philip said the ministers had responded in a positive manner to the association’s demand to introduce maintenance and protection grants for their boats this season itself.

The Race Boat Owners Association has over 60 boat owners as members and comprises the smaller category of boats including the ’churulan’, ‘odi’ and ‘iruttukuthy’ boats, which add the spice of closely contested races.

The boycott decision had come in the wake of the government’s inaction to the association’s demands for bonus prize money and maintenance grants for their boats.

Apart from the Nehru Trophy Boat Race, the small but sleek boats will now be seen in the Payippad Boat Race, the Rajiv Gandhi Boat Race at Pulinkunnu and the Karuvatta, Mannar and Neerettupuram races in the months to come.

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