Two-Day Holiday in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli on Temple Festivals

In an effort to incorporate major local religious festivals, the district administrations in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu have declared local holidays on Monday, July 7, and Tuesday, July 8, respectively. The District Collectors of the two districts have issued notifications, which would allow government offices, schools, and colleges to celebrate the festival day.

The holidays have been announced with a view to keeping in mind big temple festivals which are religious and culture-oriented in the southern states. But the holiday announcement has several significant omissions. Public government examinations on July 8 will proceed as planned, with no respite for the students, teachers, and schools concerned. The authorities have declared formally that exams will continue uninterrupted regardless of the holiday scenario in the areas.

Also, as the holidays have not been notified under Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, the banking sector will not be impacted. The banks will function as per normal, and regular bank transactions will go on according to normal. However, government treasuries and subordinate offices shall function with skeleton staff in order to ensure essential services, e.g., government securities processing.

In Tirunelveli, July 19, Saturday, is declared a workday in lieu of the holiday notified. The decision is taken to weigh administrative work and the requirements of public service against the two-day holiday.

These localized variations have come about from attempts by the district administrations to weigh the ease of entry of people into meaningful cultural activity against the need for continuity in required services and academic calendars.

While local administrations are expecting their thousands of citizens to take part in regional celebrations, the public have been requested to be vigilant regarding safety precautions and assist civic organizations in ensuring that the celebrations are a seamless process.