PANJIM: After Goa police, the State Tourism Department is also not in favour of holding two electronic dance music (EDM) festivals in the North Goa district or at the same time.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said the department has decided to appeal to the single window committee granting permissions for various tourism promotion events not to allow both EDMs at the same time or in North Goa alone.
“The situation in North Goa during the EDM events becomes chaotic creating pressure on the police machinery,” Parulekar said.
The single window committee is headed by the Tourism Secretary and has officials of various departments as its members.
The minister said that the rush caused due to hosting both the EDMs in North Goa and at same time increases the rates of hotel accommodation and food in the State making Goa an expensive destination.
“Lakhs of visitors arrive to attend these festivals leading to increase in the air fares, hike in the accommodation tariffs and restaurants charging fatter bills for food,” he said.
Goa hosts two EDMs – Sunburn and Supersonic – every year. Both are held in the coastal belt of Candolim and Vagator during the last week of December. Goa Police has decided to propose to the government to shift one event to South Goa.
Earlier the State government had said that it will not allow EDMs to take place in the State during the peak tourism season from December 15 to January 15.
