"Ossay, ossay, ossay!" With people getting their floats ready, practicing dance routines and waiting to show off their colourful attire, the festival of Shigmostav in Goa is closer than you can imagine.
Discussing the details of how the festivities will unfold, the Department of Tourism along with other relevant sections of the state government had a discussion on Monday to talk over the forthcoming events of Carnival and Shigmotsav in Goa.
The spring festival of Shigmo will begin on March 8, 2023, with the first parade being held at Ponda, in accordance with tradition. Promising an immersive experience, the parade will come to Panjim on March 11, 2023.
This year, there will be approximately 17 major and minor centres, with the major centres being Ponda, Vasco, Mapusa and Panjim. The panel also shared that the parade routes have been reviewed and that the concerned parties have been asked to coordinate with the Goa Police and select the floats carefully.
“One important announcement that we have made this year and asked all the committees to follow is that the Shigmo parade will not be allowed post 10 pm, and this rule has to be strictly followed by the organisers,” emphasised Nikhil Desai, Managing Director, Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC).
All the floats are expected to be on schedule and strictly cooperate with the committee.
“If the music does not stop by 10 pm, we will be forced to shut it down. So we request all the participants to take note of these timings. This is due to the recent ruling by the honourable High Court on playing of amplified music as well as to ensure that we follow all the legal requirements,” added Desai.
The parade in Panjim will start at 4 pm. All floats are expected to be ready by then and any of the floats that arrive post 8.30 pm will not be granted access.
If they do manage to get in, they will not be eligible for the prizes and anybody found not cooperating with the authorities will be disqualified.
As for the smart city roads that are currently is the worst condition possible, “Shigmo is going to be held on the route of 18 June Road and, therefore, we will be barricading 4 roads and will not be affected by the current road work that is going on in Panjim,” said Mangaldas Naik of the Shigmotsav committee.
The authorities also ensured that they are working with the Corporation of the City of Panjim (CCP) to ensure that the parade goes smoothly despite the digging and the hazardous condition of the roads.
