THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
Introduced for the first time at an Exposition and having attracted widespread praise and interest, the specially designed EV carriage is all set to carry the Sacred Relics of St Francis Xavier from the See Cathedral to the Basilica of Bom Jesus at Old Goa on Sunday morning.
The EV carriage had been designed and executed by a team of artisans and volunteers under the leadership of Betalbatim Parish Priest Fr Adrian Furtado.
When contacted, Fr Furtado said the EV carriage is all set to carry the Sacred Relics of St Francis Xavier from the See Cathedral to the Basilica of Bom Jesus during the concluding ceremony.
“Much like the inaugural ceremony, the EV carriage carrying the Sacred Relics will follow the altar servers, 24 angels and the three ceremonial banners of St Francis Xavier,” said Fr Furtado.
“We will also introduce a floral design on the carriage as a sign of our love for our ‘Goencho Saib’.”
Asked if the EV carriage will have a permanent location in the State, Fr Furtado replied: “We are yet to decide on the permanent location for the EV carriage.”
To another query, Fr Furtado said he was pleased and very satisfied that the EV carriage was well appreciated by people at the inaugural ceremony and had become an unexpected attraction during the Exposition, with people clicking photos and selfies of the EV carriage.
The EV carriage had been specially designed and built in Chennai, before it was transported to Goa.
“This special carriage was built upon a new 15-seater electric vehicle with special tyres, which can take a load of up to 4 tonnes,” said Fr Furtado.
“It was built up for this purpose by Sekar Manivel (EASYGO) from Chennai, which was transported by a lorry from Chennai,” said Fr Furtado.
“The fabrication of the carriage along with a canopy at a height of 14 feet was done by Rosario Vaz (Rifa Metal Works), while the design and its execution were done by M/s Blessed Joseph Vaz Enterprises (an Archdiocesan firm).”
