Team Herald
MARGAO: Carnival Float Parade at Margao will be held on February 14 with Deputy Chief Minister Babu Ajgaonkar flagging it off at 3:30 pm from Margao District Court and culminate at the Borkar Super Store in Fatorda under the strict purview of the guidelines issued for the mass event.
According to the guidelines any attendee without mask will attract a fine of Rs. 200. Margao Carnival Committee chairperson Agnelo Fernandes fervently appealed to the elderly and sick persons to watch the parade from home as it will be telecasted live.
“We all have a responsibility to ensure our safety and also the safety of others, therefore I appeal to all who have any symptoms of COVID to refrain from attending the parade,” he said in media briefing. Besides the police and traffic police, the Health Department has also been asked to help monitor the crowd for the parade. There will be nine entry points where every participant will be sanitized before allowed to join the parade.
Two entry points are near Margao District Court, one near SGPDA market, one at the walking track, two near Ravindra Bhavan circle, one at the entry point to ground and two at the Fatorda junction. Agnelo said social distancing will be strictly maintained and the Collector South has been requested to depute 10 executive magistrates for the parade to maintain law and order.
He said a screening committee will scan the floats and reject if ant décor assumed controversial or the committee feels unfit. “The screening committee’s decision will be final and there will be no appeal against it,” said Agnelo.
He read a seven paragraph Konkani poem as a special message asking people to wear mask to keep away the virus and to enjoy carnival in a sensible and healthy manner.
Floats will be judged in five categories with the total prize money being Rs 7.35 lakh. The prize money in traditional category is Rs 3.60 lakh, in Club or Institution category it is Rs 1.97 lakh, Rs 68,500 in fun junk category while for the family category the total prize money is Rs. 68,500 wherein clown/joker category it is Rs 41,000.
In the traditional category the first prize is of Rs. 1 lakh followed by Rs 75,000 as second prize, Rs 60,000 as third prize, Rs 45000 as fourth prize and Rs 30,000 as fifth prize. Besides there will be five consolation prizes of Rs. 10,000 each.
In the Club or Institution category the first prize is of Rs 60000, second prize of Rs 50000, third prize of Rs 30000, fourth prize of Rs 20000 and fifth prize of Rs 12000. Besides there will five consolation prizes of Rs 5000 each.
In the Fun or Junk category the first prize is Rs 20000 followed by Rs 18000 for the second place, Rs 10000 for the third prize, Rs 8000 for fourth prize and Rs 5000 for fifth place. Besides there will be five consolation prizes of Rs 1,500 each. The Family category also gets the same awards.
In the clown/joker category, the first prize is Rs 12000 followed by Rs 9000 for the second place and Rs 7000 for the third place while the fourth and fifth position will win Rs 5000 and Rs 3000 thousand respectively. Five consolation prizes of Rs 1000 each will also be given in this category.
