Sub-committee of SLEPC has strongly rejected the venue citing inadequate road infrastructure
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Vagator has emerged as an Electronic Dance Music festival venue ironically days after the sub-committee of the State Level Event Permission Committee (SLEPC) strongly rejected this hill-top location for a music festival venue citing serious concerns regarding traffic management and absence of proper infrastructure leading to the venue.
The sub-committee in its report submitted in October had said that it does not recommend music festivals at this place (Vagator hill-top) this year and recommended it as a future venue after construction of adequate roads and infrastructure leading to the venue is put in place.
The sub-committee pointed out that Vagator is a new site even though it has a vast flat and slopping area, spread over 50 acres.
The sub-committee had assessed various factors such as traffic management, fire and emergency services, disaster preparedness, security management, medical assistance and waste disposal at this venue.
It found that though the site is suitable from various angles, the approach road to reach the site is a matter of serious concern. Some of its findings state that ‘crowds are expected to flow from Baga and Calangute towards Vagator. To reach this place traffic has to cross a narrow bridge at Arpora and further at Dando junction where there is a bottleneck in the form of a narrow bridge. The Dando junction also poses traffic constraints, as there is a fork in the road with very little scope for movement of traffic.
The sub-committee is of the view that considering severe traffic constraints involved in the approach road to Vagator hill top it is not advisable to have any music festival this year at this place.
The sub-committee said that Vagator may be considered for hosting music festivals next year after suitable road infrastructure is developed and suggested that there should be a by-pass road at Arpora bridge and a second by-pass road at Dando junction.
“The PWD and village panchayat may be asked to take up these road works on priority if the government is serious about Vagator hill-top as an alternative venue for undertaking mega events in future,” it said in its report.
The report further said that the sub-committee recommends conduct of music festival by only one company during the period from December 23 to 31, 2013, at Candolim subject to strict compliance of all terms and conditions. It also pointed out that all arrangements be put in place 15 days prior to the conduct of the event for verification by the sub-committee.
Interestingly, Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar batted for Vagator as a venue for an EDM stating that permission has been granted to Percept to host its annual Sunburn festival as it has submitted a fresh plan for traffic management to the Vagator venue.
“They plan to handle the entire traffic movement
via Chapora,” said Parulekar pointing out that this new plan has been approved
by the Goa Police and traffic cell when it made a
new presentation earlier this week.
