A meeting convened by District Collector S. Venkatesapathy on Monday chalked out steps to resolve the ongoing dispute relating to hanging flags and decorative items at the Vellayani Devi temple.

Directing officials to maintain status quo at the festival area, Mr. Venkatesapathy said the activities of the temple committee must be in line with the guidelines laid down by the Travancore Devaswom Board. Besides, the board must be consulted with to ascertain whether any norms had been flouted by the temple management, he ordered the officials concerned.

He also sought the cooperation of all parties concerned to ensure peace in the area so as to enable devotees to participate in the festival without any difficulty. Kalliyoor grama panchayat president R. Jayalakshmi, Additional District Magistrate John V. Samuel, Assistant Commissioner (Fort) K.S. Gopakumar, representatives of the temple committee, and political parties were among those who participated in the meeting.