MARGAO
A high-level meeting convened by the district authorities to finalise the route for the Shiv Jayanti procession in the commercial capital turned inconclusive even as the authorities insisted on the uniform policy of not allowing processions in the city.
The meeting chaired by the District Collector Agnelo Fernandes was attended by Deputy Collector Uday Prabhudesai, DySP Raju Raut Desai, DySP Traffic Prabodh Shirwaikar and representatives of the Shiv Jayanti celebration committee.
DySP Raju Raut Desai made it point blank clear that since the Shiv Jayanti rally is not part of the city’s tradition, the authorities would not like it to enter the main city. In fact, the DySP suggested that no sooner the procession enters Margao city at the Power House, it can take the route to Borda from where it may return back to the place of origin.
Representatives of the Shiv Jayanti celebration committee, however, insisted that the procession should be allowed to enter the city, more so when people welcome the procession at several places in the city, including Aquem, Malbhat. They maintained that the Shiv Jayanti procession is now a tradition of the city, and hence should be allowed to enter the city.
DySP Raju Raut Desai said that the district authorities have adopted an uniform policy that all processions should not enter the city taking into account the traffic problems and congestion in the city. He said that certain festivities such as the century-old Dindi procession have been exempted from the rule given that the religious festivity was being held in the city for over a century.
Given that there was no unanimity on the procession route, the authorities and the representatives of Shiv Jayanti celebration committee will meet again later this week to finalise the route. In the past, the Shiv Jayanti procession used to start from the Gogol Housing Board, before entering into the Rumdamol housing board and returned back to its original place after wending its way through the streets of Margao.
