MARGAO
Citizens under the banner of Concerned Citizens of Goa on Saturday launched a sustained movement against any plans by the organisers of the controversial Sunburn festival to shift the venue to South Goa. Speakers demanded that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant relocate the festival to Sanquelim or Porvorim in the constituency of Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte.
The movement, which began from the roadside in front of the South Goa District Collectorate, saw citizens carrying a banner with a clear message: “Save Goa, No Drugs, No Sunburn.”
The movement has received full backing from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), with top party leaders including chief Amit Palekar, MLA Cruz Silva, Valmiki Naik, Gerson Gomes, and others joining the protest against the festival’s potential shift to South Goa. Goa Forward chief Vikas Bhagat also participated in the protest, urging the people of South Goa to oppose the festival.
Addressing the media, AAP chief Amit Palekar stated that the Sunburn festival has devastated local businesses in Anjuna and Vagator. “If the Chief Minister has sympathy for the organisers of Sunburn, he should move the festival to Sanquelim. Let Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte hold it at the IT park in Succoro, Porvorim. We need to prevent the festival from coming to South Goa to protect our youth from going astray,” he said.
Palekar expressed confidence that the agitation that began in Margao would grow into a significant movement. He mentioned having spoken with Congress leadership to advance the movement to its logical conclusion.
Velim MLA Cruz Silva noted that there is unrest and fear among the people of South Goa following the announcement of Sunburn’s potential shift. “The people of South Goa have safeguarded the district for years. Today, drugs have reached our villages. We don’t want a drug culture in South Goa. Sunburn will only encourage our youth towards drugs, which can lead to increased crime,” he said, pledging to oppose the festival both inside and outside the Assembly.
In a fiery address, AAP leader Valmiki Naik claimed that Sunburn is no longer a music festival but a festival of corruption and drugs. “The last-minute permissions granted by the government indicate that money is being demanded from the organisers. They start selling tickets online before even obtaining permissions, confident they will meet the demands of those in power,” he asserted.
Naik also stated that North Goa is being destroyed by drugs, which have been facilitated by police, politicians, and drug peddlers.
Addressing the protesters, Gerson Gomes clarified that he was participating not as an AAP member but as a concerned citizen of Goa. “We have created this platform to launch a movement against Sunburn. Mere statements in the media will not stop the festival unless we spread the movement across South Goa,” he said.
