PANJIM: Yatin Chawla, venue partner of the Glowfest Lantern Festival at Morjim beach, on Friday committed in writing to the Pernem Deputy Collector that he will not hold the festival in the eco-sensitive zone at Vithaldaswada, Morjim beach.
The Mandrem police produced Chawla before the Deputy Collector, where he gave commitment to the official. The Glowfest Lantern Festival was scheduled on Saturday.
When contacted, Pernem Deputy Collector Shivprasad Naik said, “He (Chawla) appeared before me today (Friday). He has given commitment in writing that he will not organise the festival at Morjim beach. He was a venue partner while, the main organiser was one Hemavati, who is from Puducherry, and is not here (Goa). I don’t know whether she had arrived in the State and left.”
When it was brought to his notice that the organisers had now announced that they had postponed the festival due to rains and that new dates would be announced shortly and that bookings would be on air soon, Naik said, “Let them do what they want. We will not allow them to hold the festival at Morjim beach”.
Following protests by the residents and environmentalists against the holding of the festival at Morjim beach, the organisers on Thursday had announced about the cancellation of the festival scheduled on May 25.
The Mandrem police had also obtained an undertaking from Chawla that he will not hold the festival in the eco-sensitive zone at Vithaldaswada, Morjim, where there is an Olive Ridley Turtle Nesting site.
Earlier, the Pernem Deputy Collector had asked the Mandrem police to deploy necessary police force and maintain strict vigil to ensure that the Lantern Festival is not held on the Morjim beach.
The organisers, Goafornia, had not obtained permissions from concerned authorities but announced the date on its Instagram post.
