Dilip Parulekar may not even have heard of Mughal emperorMohammad Bin Tughlaq, but his politics sure is Tughlaqian. Tughlaq implementeda crazy ides of shifting his capital from Delhi to the deep south moving men, machineryand facilities causing hardship and death.
Though certainly not in any comparable scale, TourismMinister Dilip Parulekar has sought to move an international event like theSunburn festival, from North to South Goa, less than a fortnight before itsschedule.
Parulekar’s closeness to former Calangute MLA AgneloFernandes, who earlier lorded over Sunburn, and his resultant cold war with hisown party Calangute MLA Michael Lobo, seems to have sparked of this sudden moveto take the festival out of Lobos area
The organizers ridiculed the minister’s statement calling it“ill-logical” and perhaps that could be one of the reasons why the organizerswere in a tearing hurry clearing the venue at Candolim beach.
Parulekar did not mention where in South Goa Sunburn wouldbe held. But he claims that shifting of the event would ease pressure on thetraffic in North Goa, as South Goa has sufficient infrastructure.
The music festival will help South Goa to make it ahappening place similar to North Goa, the minister said.
“Michael Lobo and Joseph Sequiera were opposing it for thesake of opposing, in the past. After coming to power things appear to havechanged overnight,” taunted Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes.
According to Fernandes as long as Sunburn is held in Goa, beit North or South he doesn’t have any problem but shifting it out of Goa wouldbe killing the goose that lays the golden egg for tourism.
In apparent power struggle being played in the corridors ofpower the incumbent Calangute MLA, Michael Lobo is pitching for the festival tobe held in North Goa and ready to cross swords with Parulekar.
“I was never against hosting Sunburn in the past and I nevermade it a political issue. I will not allow it to be shifted to South Goa,”said a livid Calangute MLA.
“Sunburn brings big spending tourists in Goa. Why should Ioppose or politicize it? I had raised my voice against ill-happenings at thefestival,” Lobo added.
He further said that after the Sunburn party people go tothe clubs and there are no sufficient night clubs in South Goa.
“My stand is clear on the festival. My objection is tocertain things that happen during the event. It won’t change if I am in poweror opposition,” former sarpanch Joseph Sequeira said.
“Let the organizers put in place basic infrastructure tostreamline traffic, enough parking space and ensure that drugs are not suppliedat the festival,” Sequeira added.
“Take a round in Candolim and Calangute. People attached totourism would tell you how Sunburn is important,” said Timotino Fernandes,owner of the property where Sunburn is held.
“The political statement before the festival is not new. Weare used to it. Everyone knows such controversies die down at the eleventhhour,” Fernandes said tongue firmly in cheek.
Question is how much of politicking will it take to settledown matters in the State so that big ticket events can come to Goa?
