Thiruvananthapuram: The funeral procession carrying the mortal remains of former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy began from Puthuppally House at Jagathy, Thiruvananthapuram to Kottayam around 7.30 am on Wednesday. The body, which was airlifted to the state capital from Bengaluru on Tuesday, was kept for the public to pay their respects in the capital on Tuesday.
The funeral will be held at 2.30 pm on Thursday at Puthuppally Church. He would be laid to rest in an exclusive part of the cemetery of the St George Orthodox Church which is famed as the Puthuppally church. The special tomb that is being readied is at that part of the cemetery where priests are buried. Although the Karottu Vallakkalil family of the late leader has its own burial vault in the church cemetery, a special tomb was being erected as a sign of respect for his services to the Malankara Orthodox Church, the Puthuppally church, and the area in general and the happy moments that he had bestowed on all of them.
In the wake of the funeral procession, traffic regulations have been imposed in various regions near Puthuppally on Wednesday and Thursday. On reaching Kottayam, the body will be kept at the DCC office and Thirunakkara Maidanam for public homage. Following which, it will be shifted to the leader’s residence in Puthuppally. As part of the restrictions imposed by the police, a holiday has been declared for the schools in Kottayam district on Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the state government is yet to take a decision over whether to provide state honours to Chandy, as the latter had expressed a desire not to be given official honours at the funeral. Oommen Chandy, two-time chief minister of Kerala, breathed his last on Tuesday around 4.25 am while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bengaluru. His mortal remains were kept for public viewing at the residence of former minister T John and later airlifted to Thiruvananthapuram.
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