Thrissur, Saturday 25 December 2010: Security was tightened as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was expected to arrive here today afternoon to pay homage to four-time Kerala chief minister K. Karunakaran who died at the age of 93 on Thursday evening.

Manmohan Singh is to arrive here at around 2 p.m. as opposed to the earlier 11 a.m., Congress leaders said here. ‘He was supposed to come around 11 a.m but the programme has been delayed to around 2 p.m.

He will arrive on a special aircraft at Kochi. From there, he will travel by helicopter to a place near here and would then drive down,’ a Congress source said. The Special Protection Group (SPG) has already taken over the Town Hall near here where Karunakaran’s body is placed.

Earlier report

The state is deeply mourning the death of former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader K. Karunakaran, who passed away on Thursday evening. People cutting across party lines and from different walks of life are lining up in large numbers to the Town Hall in the district, to pay homage to the departed.

The body taken in a procession yesterday afternoon from the capital city reached the district only this morning. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will arrive by a special flight at the Naval Airport here around 2 pm to attend the funeral. The Prime Minister will then travel by road to Karunakaran’s residence from there to the Town Hall.
Union Ministers A.K Antony and Mullappally Ramachandran are in the Town Hall besides Muraleedharan and Padmaja Venugopal.

Ministers M Vijaya Kumar, M A Baby, K P Rajendran, Binoy Viswom, Jose Thettayil, S Sarma paid tributes to the leader. Director Sathyan Anthicaud, AMMA president and actor Innocent, general secretary Edavela Babu, T P Madhavan, actor Suresh Gopi and many others paid homage. He will be cremated near the memorial of his wife, Kalyanikutty Amma, at his residence Murali Mandiram.

Earlier report

Kollam

Hundreds of people from all walks of life lined up on the sides of the National Highway 47 and at the specially erected ‘pandal’ at the Cantonment Maidan here to get a last glimpse of senior Congress leader K. Karunakaran, who passed away on Thursday.

Though the original plan was to keep his body inside the pandal for a few minutes for the people of Kollam to pay their last respects, the move was dropped because of the huge crowd and also because the hearse arrived very late.

The body was accompanied by the late leader’s son K. Muraleedharan, KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala, Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy, K. Sudhakaran, MP, and DCC president Kadavur Sivadasan.

Though it was informed in the morning that the hearse carrying Karunakaran’s body would arrive at the Cantonment Maidan by 3.30 p.m., it arrived only by 7 p.m. Right from 3 p.m. the maidan and the road sides were crowded with mourners. As the hearse arrived some were seen in tears.

Among those who arrived at the Cantonment maidan to pay their last respects to Karunakaran were Mayor Prasanna Earnest, senior Congress leaders Thennala Balakrishna Pillai and C.V. Padmarajan, Deputy Mayor G. Lalu, the district chairman of the UDF, Sooranad Rajashekaran, monsignor Ferdinand Kayavil, Kodikunnil Suresh MP, INTUC leader V. Sathyaseelan, CPI leader Pannyan Ravindran, CMP leader M.H. Shariyar, managing editor of Kerala Shabdam B.A. Rajakrishnan, district president of Indian Union Muslim League A. Younus Kunju and Congress leader E. Marydasan.

Kochi

With undying memories of the moments they shared with the departed leader, hundreds of Congress workers reached Vytilla on Friday to bid adieu to former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader K. Karunakaran. The city and the Congress workers from here had a special place in the life of the departed leader.

The Panampilly Nagar residence of his daughter Padmaja Venugopal, where he camped when in Kochi, was second home to a large number of Congress workers. It was from Kochi that a bold Karunakaran led many a battles both inside and outside the party.

Many of the Congress leaders and ordinary workers who reached Vytilla Junction, where facilities for the public to pay homage was arranged, shared a personal account of care and affection showered on them by the leader.

Congress workers started flocking at the Vyttila junction in the evening itself even though they knew that the hearse would reach the city only in the wee hours of Saturday. The District Congress Committee had made arrangements for the party workers and general public to pay homage to their leader.

The party flags in the area flew half mast and many party workers were seen wearing badges with the picture of the Congress leader printed on it as a mark of homage.

Those who were present at the venue to pay homage included the Kochi Mayor Tony Chammany, the Deputy Mayor Bhadra Satish, K. Babu, MLA; Charles Dias, M.P.; the UDF convener P. P. Thankachan and the DCC president V.J. Poulose.

Thrissur

Thrissur is bracing up to receive tens of thousands of visitors for the funeral of Congress veteran K. Karunakaran on Saturday. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Ministers and political leaders from different States are expected to attend the funeral at Murali Mandiram at Punkunnam. Karunakaran will be cremated near the memorial of his wife Kalyanikutty Amma on the premises of Murali Mandiram.

KPCC treasurer C.N. Balakrishnan and Karunakaran’s close associate T.V. Chandramohan were actively monitoring the pre-funeral planning. Union Defence Minister A.K. Antony arrived here on Friday night to supervise arrangements.

Antony told reporters that the Prime Minister would arrive at Thrissur around 11.45 a.m. to pay his last respects to the leader. “That the Prime Minister and Congress president decided to fly down to Kerala to pay homage to Karunakaran shows his importance in the Congress,” Antony said. A District Congress Committee spokesman said that Karunakaran’s body will be kept at the Town Hall from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. for the public to pay homage.

It will then be taken to the DCC office and Murali Mandiram. “Entry will be restricted at the DCC office and Murali Mandiram,” the spokesman said. Elaborate security arrangements will be in place in view of the Prime Minister’s visit. “Thrissur is scrambling to be ready for a big influx of people,” a senior police official said.

Traffic restrictions will be imposed in the city from 6 a.m. Parking will not be allowed at the Swaraj Round. An all-party condolence meeting will be held at the Thekkinkad Maidan at 5 p.m.

(News agency inputs)