President Droupadi Murmu will be the chief guest of the valedictory ceremony of the platinum jubilee of St. Thomas Autonomous College, Pala, to be held on Thursday.
The President will unveil a plaque of the upcoming platinum jubilee block at a function to be presided over by Mar Joseph Kallarangatt, Bishop of the Diocese of Pala and patron of the college. Vicar General and college manager Joseph Thadathil, Principal Sibi James, Vice-Principal Rev. Salvin Thomas Kappiliparambil, and Bursar Rev. Mathew Alappattumedayil will lead the proceedings.
In view of the visit of the President to Kumarakom and Pala on Thursday, Kottayam and Pala towns have come under a tight security blanket for the next few days. The district administration and the police have deployed nearly 2,000 security personnel, established no-flying zones, and implemented traffic control in view of her visit.
The President, who will be staying in Thiruvananthapuram after darshan at the Sabarimala temple, will fly down at St Thomas College grounds at 3.50 p.m. on Thursday to attend the valedictory event of the college’s platinum jubilee celebrations. After an hour-long programme at the college, the President will reach Kottayam by helicopter from Pala. From there, she will travel by road to Kumarakom. The President will reach Kumarakom Taj Resort at 6.20 p.m., have dinner, and take rest there. She will leave for Ernakulam by helicopter at 11 a.m. on Friday.
According to officials, three layers of security arrangements will be in place for the President during the visit. The first layer of security will be provided by the National Security Guard (NSG) commandos, followed by the Central Armed Police Force in the second layer. The Sate police will form the third layer of security.
As part of the security arrangements, District Collector Chetan Kumar Meena has imposed a ban on the flying of helicopters, drones, microlight aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles at various centres in the district from 12 noon on Thursday to 12 noon on Friday.
The ban is in the airspace of Kottayam Police Parade Ground, Pala St. Thomas College, Pala Municipal Stadium, CMS College Ground, Nehru Stadium, Kumarakom Taj Hotel, and other helipads in the district and nearby places.
The Deputy Director of Education in Kottayam has informed that due to security and traffic arrangements being made in various parts of the district on Thursday and Friday, arrangements will be made in the working hours of schools. On Thursday, all schools in the district should close before 3 p.m. On Friday, all schools in Kottayam taluk should start working before 8.30 a.m.
Published – October 22, 2025 08:13 pm IST
