the goan I network
MARGAO
Saxttikars may have to rush with their sumptuous Carnival lunch and even forgo the Sunday afternoon siesta to witness the Carnival floats at Margao as the government has decided to hold the carnival float parade in Margao and Quepem on the same day which is Sunday, February 23.
A high-level joint meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar with district officials, including district Collector Ajit Roy and the Carnival panels of Margao and Quepem, have decided to flag off the Margao carnival parade at 2.45 pm, to facilitate the floats to reach Quepem by 4 pm the same evening.
The King Momo float heralding the three-day of fun and frolic will head to Quepem soon after King Momo disembarks at Margao, informed Kavelkar after the meeting. He said, while King Momo will preside over the festivities at Margao, the float will head to Quepem, where it would be led by another King Momo and his entourage in the town.
The deputy Chief Minister said while the Tourism department has decided to hold the Margao carnival float parade on the Holy Spirit-Margao Municipal square, the meeting has decided to make some changes to the parade route.
“Instead of the floats taking a turn towards the Municipal square to return back towards Gomant Vidya Niketan, the parade route will be extended to the Kohinoor hotel side before the floats head to Quepem via the Margao flyover,” Kavlekar said, while saying that the traffic and MMC authorities will take a call on the location of the stage on the eastern side of the MMC building near the Kohinoor hotel area.
Briefing the media, the deputy Chief Minister said these changes in timings and route has been mooted since Quepem will play host to the official carnival parade for the first time.
“Carnival float parade was being organised in Quepem for last 22 years by local organizers. This year, the government has decided to hold the official parade in Quepem and Margao on Sunday,” he said adding that the programme chalked out in the meet will ensure that floats participating in Margao can also make it to Quepem as well later in the evening.
Kavlekar further informed that besides the float parades, the traditional khell tiatrs will be staged in all the wards of Margao as well as at 26 places across Quepem constituency.
Chairman of the Margao Carnival Committee Arthur D’Silva said people of Salcete need not worry about the timings of the Margao float parade, saying the parade will kick start just half an hour before the usual time. “The Tourism department has already decided to hold the parade on the old route. Today, the meeting has mooted minor changes to the route which will be taken care of by the traffic and district authorities,” he added.
