PANJIM: The Opposition and NGOs continue to mount pressure on the government to not only ban the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festivals but also sack Tourism Minister Manohar ‘Babu’ Ajgaonkar.
Goencho Avaaz has given Chief Minister Pramod Sawant deadline of seven days to replace Ajgaonkar with another to handle this important portfolio.
“Ajgaonkar has become like a ‘clown’ who is proposing that controversial EDMs like Sunburn should be held twice a year. Is EDM really needed? A minister, whose educational qualification is only till Class X and holding such a crucial portfolio, should be sacked. The CM should act within a week else we will launch a “weak CM” campaign,” Swapnesh Sheldekar of Goencho Avaaz told a press conference on Wednesday.
The NGO also sought to know what was stopping the chief minister from taking action against his Cabinet colleague despite three deaths at the Sunburn Klassique venue. Sheldekar questioned the police’s wisdom for concluding that deaths of first two victims were due to heart attack. “Will two people suffer heart attack at the same time?” he asked.
“Is the chief minister so handicapped that he cannot take action against his “selfish” minister (Ajgaonkar)? Is the government not serious about the people of Goa?” Sheldekar asked.
The NGO’s Convener Captain Viriato Fernandes alleged that Ajgaonkar’s claim of earning Rs 250 crore profits during the three-day festival was to his son’s business whose hotel in Calangute hosted post-event parties. The forum has advised the government to instead focus on promoting tourism during the rest period of year and the tourism season rather than the three-day event.
