PANAJI
The mystery behind which government agency granted permission for the ongoing Sunburn music event in Vagator, deepened on Wednesday, with Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar washing his hands off the event, where thousands of music lovers are in attendance.
Last month, Ajgaonkar had said that he was keen on his Ministry granting permission for the music event, which is being held at Hilltop, a venue in Vagator, while also suggesting that the Chief Minister had kept his office in the dark about cancelling the event.
On Wednesday, however, as the festival entered its third and final day, Ajgaonkar said that he was not sure who had granted permission for the event, insisting that his Tourism Ministry had not.
“I have not given (permission). My office did not get anything (documentation). Someone else has given it (permission), you ask the person who has,” said Ajgaonkar. Ajgaonkar’s comments come amid speculation about the BJP denying him a ticket for the upcoming state assembly polls. The Tourism Minister has refuted the speculative reports.
However, speaking in between the lines, Ajgaonkar pinned the responsibility for the event, which is being held in the midst of a Covid infection surge on the Chief Minister himself, who holds charge of the Home Ministry.
“I cannot take action either. It is up to the Home Department,” he said, adding that the file related to the granting official permission for the event was pending with the Chief Minister.
Ajgaonkar, who in November was gung-ho about permitting the event, acknowledged that holding such an event where thousands of people are in attendance was tantamount to putting people’s lives at risk in wake of the Covid surge.
“What you are saying is right. We have not (given permission),” Ajgaonkar said, when he was asked if hosting the music event at such times amounted to putting people’s lives at risk.
“I am serious now, such events which encourage crowds should not be held now, until Covid issues are not resolved,” he said.
The state is witnessing a surge in Covid cases with the state recording fresh daily Covid cases in triple figures over the last two days. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that his government is not in a position to impose a curfew or enforce severe restrictions in the coastal state, which he said could put the tourism industry in peril during the ongoing Christmas and New Year festivities.
