MARGAO: This year’s Margao Carnival parade likely to follow the same route as last year’s -- from Ravindra Bhavan circle to Colva circle. 

Unlike all the previous celebrations, this time, the carnival will be organised by the officials of Margao Municipal Council and other departments with the chief officer heading the organising committee. The theme for this year will be National Swacch Bharat Mission. 

Carnival celebrations will start in Margao on February 25 and float parade will be held on February 26. The statutory committees were formed and the route was decided in a meeting of the stakeholders for Carnival celebration of Margao 2017 which was hosted by the MMC Chief Officer.

Salcete Deputy Collector, Electricity official, PWD, Fire & Emergency Services, Traffic Cell, Margao Police and several others were present for the meeting. 

Since the election process is still under way, the elected representatives of the MMC are not allowed to organise the carnival and hence the officials will have to take the job of the councillors this time. 

The meeting decided the theme of the Carnival 2017 to be Swacch Bharat Margao and the chief officer also informed that the MMC would be sending letters to the Chief Secretary of Goa, Director General of Police and other senior bureaucrats of Goa as the guests for the celebrations. This has been decided because no political figure or VVIP can be called as guests when the Code of Conduct is in force.

There will be Khell Tiatrs organised in municipal wards and the chief officer has assured that the payments though not fixed will be paid to the artists on time.

The chief officer said, “For the first time this year the administration is organising the carnival due to the Code of Conduct and we are taking all care that the festival is celebrated smoothly.”