the goan I network
VASCO
The mortal remains of former BJP MLA and ex-Deputy Speaker, Vishnu Surya Wagh arrived at Dabolim Airport in the wee hours of Sunday.
Wagh, 53, was ailing since 2016 after suffering a heart attack and stroke. He had died on February 8 in Johannesburg, South Africa while on a tour.
The mortal remains of Wagh arrived by a Qatar Airways flight which landed at Dabolim Airport at around 2.30 am on Sunday morning. The mortal remains were received by
Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude.
Several well wishers, relatives and close friends were also present at the airport to offer assistance for receiving and transporting Wagh’s mortal remains to Ponda.
Sources at the airport
said the remains were flown from Johannesburg to Doha and subsequently from Doha to Goa.
A strong police force led by Mormugao DySP Sunita Sawant, Dabolim PI Shailesh Narvekar and Verna PI Ninad Deulkar was present at the airport besides a contingent of the Traffic Police which ensured that there was no obstruction of traffic while the hearse van travelled from the Airport to Ponda.
Wagh’s brother Ramrao and other relatives were also present at the Dabolim Airport while his brother-in-law Rajan (Yeshwant) Chodankar was seen completing the formalities at the Airport to receive the mortal remains with the help of Wagh’s friend and Vasco-based social activist Preetam Keluskar.
Speaking to the media, Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude said that Wagh was a close friend and was loved by one and all in Goa.
“Wagh’s contributions to Goa especially in the field of art and culture will never be forgotten. He was attached to the entire state through this medium. I have had close relations with Wagh’s family and he was the one who had coaxed me to enter politics. He had set an example of how to live with self respect and I have come here to receive his remains not as a politician but to fulfill my humanitarian responsibility,” said Gaude.
