Team Herald
PONDA: Many Marcaim residents are up in arms against the Navdurga Temple Committee over its decision to replace the old Navdurga idol with a new one on February 22. According to the locals, if both parties refuse to change their stance, there are likely to be clashes on that day.
The deployment of a huge police force at the Navdurga Temple in Marcaim for the Navmi Palkhim procession of Goddess Navdurga on February 16 has raised several eyebrows. Some residents have expressed unhappiness over the police presence in the village.
The large number of Navdurga devotes from across Goa are expecting the government to find an amicable solution to the issue and prevent untoward incidents, which will destroy the peace in the village.
The Navdurga Temple Committee, which claims the temple is private property, is firm on replacing the old idol with a new one. However, the villagers, mostly from the Bahujan Samaj, have dismissed the temple committee’s claims by stating that the idol had been installed by their forefathers 800 years ago, while the Mahajan Act came into force just 125 years ago. They also claimed that the Navdurga Temple Committee could not prove that the idol was installed by the members.
When contacted on the issue, PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar simply said that he would try to find an amicable solution to the issue within two days.
Deputy Speaker Vishnu Wagh visited the temple on Tuesday and assured to arrange a meeting between Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, the villagers and the temple committee to settle the issue.
It may be recalled that the villagers, on February 10, held a morcha in Ponda city against the Ponda mamlatdar, who is administrator of temples. They asked him to intervene and retain the old idol. However, the mamlatdar said he was not the proper authority to decide the matter, but he would submit their memorandum calling for retaining the old idol to the government.
