BICHOLIM
Acting on instructions of the State administration, vendors on Monday began dismantling their stalls along the narrow road, on the penultimate day of the Devi Lairai zatra at Shirgao.
Late Sunday evening, the temple committee and the administration held a joint meeting and decided that no outsider should enter the temple on Tuesday, the fifth and final day of the festival. The administration has also decided to remove all stalls along the road by Monday night.
The State had been plunged into shock and grief after six persons were killed while around 80 others were injured in a stampede along the narrow road during the famous Devi Lairai Zatra at Shirgao in the wee hours of Saturday.
When contacted, Devasthan Committee Chairman Dinanath Gaonkar said they had taken these decisions with the cooperation of the administration.
“All vendors of stalls as well as devotees should also cooperate with these decisions,” said Gaonkar.
Stating that the number of people visiting the Devi Lairai temple in Shirgao dropped sharply in the last two days, Gaonkar said: “We are grateful to the people for their cooperation after we appealed to them.”
Meanwhile, as part of added security and safety measures, the Devasthan Committee and administration have decided to prohibit the entry to outsiders on the fifth and final day on Tuesday. There will be police presence at strategic locations from Tuesday morning.
“The Devasthan Committee and the administration have taken a firm stand to ensure that no untoward incident occurs on the last day. We appeal to people to cooperate by not coming to Shirgao for the darshan on Tuesday. Next year, we will plan in advance and ensure that devotees also get a darshan in a proper manner,” said Gaonkar.
