Carnival gets off to a dull start
TEAM HERALD
Panjim, March 5: The four-day Carnival festival commenced in the capital city of Panjim even as the impact of pruned budget by the State Government was evident in the overall parade.
In absence of State Tourism Minister Nilkant Halarnkar, who is touring United States, Chief Secretary Sanjay Srivastava in the presence of Tourism Secretary D C Sahu flagged off the parade near Old secretariat.
Thousands of people including foreign tourists thronged the street from Patto Bridge to Campal to witness the parade led by King Momo’s float, flanked by his ‘Queens’.
Officials said that nearly 30,000 people participated on the first day of the festival.
“Unlike Brazilian Carnival, nudity and obscene behaviour is strictly banned on floats. We had thoroughly scanned each float before it being rolled out on the street”, said an official from the Panjim Carnival Committee.
Some 200-odd policemen drawn from north Goa police stations and reserves and civil defense personnel were deployed on the parade route and various junctions to divert the traffic.
But it was still a mismanaged scene as people rushed in the middle of the road leaving the law enforcers helpless.
Several colourful floats, clowns and other interesting presentations rolled on the street with messages on environment protection, village and agricultural life, etc.
A local group had interestingly dedicated a float in memory of Paul, the psychic octopus, who became a pop culture sensation by correctly predicting the outcome of eight football World Cup matches.
111 floats participated on the first day of Carnival.
