CANACONA
Sarvajanik Ganesh Mandals in Canacona have sought a two-day celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi with strict SOPs and have sought financial assistance from the government to celebrate the festival due to the Covid pandemic.
A meeting was convened by the Canacona Mamlatdar and SDM Vimod Dalal on Tuesday to seek opinion on the celebration of Ganesh festival and SOPs during the festivities.
Most of the Ganeshotsav mandals, including Canacona Police who also celebrate the Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav, participated in the meeting.
While most mandals sought a two-day celebration of the festival, two participants wanted to celebrated the festival for 5-7 days and assured to adhere to strict SOPs and avoid firecrackers, entertainment programmes, thirthprasad or mahaprasad.
Most mandals requested the government to allot funds to celebrate the Sarvajanik Ganesh festival as they were unable to mobilise their own funds due to the Covid pandemic.
Canacona police stating they would hold the Ganesh festival only for one-and-half day and sought help of the Sarvajanik Mandals and others to help police personnel deployed during the Ganesh festival.
Canacona CHC Health Officer Dr Jose Tawares informed that Covid positive cases had increased during the Ganesh festival last year and appealed to the Ganesh Mandals and people to strictly follow SOPs with social distancing, use of sanitisers and masks.
At the end, all mandals agreed to hold the Ganesh celebrations for two days by following government SOPs. They also agreed to carry out immersion in designated places at Palolem beach, Tarir, Patnem, Ordhofond, Poinguinim, Maxem, Saleri, Khola, Galgibaga, Loliem, near Keshav Temple, Polem beach, Cotigao near Mallikarjun temple, Gaondongrim near Mallikarjun temple, etc.
Mamlatdar Vimod Dalal advised the mandals to issue ID cards to all volunteers and to mark areas for Darshan to avoid overcrowding of devotees.
He also suggested livestreaming of the Darshan to avoid physical presence, maintaining social distancing and following timings for immersion, especially by Sarvajanik mandals.
