VASCO
The Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) on Wednesday decided to focus on safety measures at the forthcoming Damodar Saptah festival, particularly to avoid crowd-related incidents such as stampedes.
With nearly two months to go for the annual festival, the MMC has already kickstarted preparations by convening a special Council meeting on Wednesday.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, MMC Chairperson Girish Borker said the early meeting was called to focus on safety measures, particularly to avoid crowd-related incidents such as stampedes.
“We have taken this Council meeting in advance and two months before the Saptah festival. We have seen stampedes that caused loss of lives, like at the Lairai Zatra in Shirgao and during celebrations in Bangaluru after RCB’s IPL win. We decided to raise the issue of crowd control now, and we will have a series of meetings with different government authorities and the police to prevent such incidents during the Saptah,” Borker said.
“There is a new Damodar Temple Saptah Utsav Samiti and we will soon begin consultations with them. There is massive rush in the temple during the main coconut anointment ceremony. This can cause a stampede. We request the Samiti members and the police to keep a watch and ensure that there is no unnecessary rush,” Borker added.
Besides safety, the MMC is also aiming to surpass last year’s revenue from the seven-day fair.
“We made a record-breaking revenue of Rs 1.12 crore last year, beating our previous record of Rs 98 lakh. Earlier, the revenue would never cross Rs 60 lakh. This year, we are attempting to break our own record and earn even more,” Borker stated.
He clarified that the MMC does not plan to increase stall charges.
“We had not increased the rates of the shops at last year’s fair and this time too, we have decided we will not hike the rates. We’ve coordinated with the Chief Officer, staff and Council members to work harder to earn more revenue while ensuring a safe Saptah festival,” said Borker.
