4-day Goa Carnival to begin on Saturday

The four-day Goa Carnival will begin Saturday with the main float parade being organised between Dona Paula and Miramar along the seashore here, a tourism department official said.

The main tableau, that of King Momo, will be themed on the 'Sea God' with a peacock crown, the official added.

William Anes, an event enthusiast who was chosen by the Tourism department to be King Momo this year, said his dictate for the revellers would be to observe cleanliness in the coastal state.

"The festival will also educate people on traffic discipline and drinking alcohol with responsibility," Anes told PTI, adding that a traffic police float would also be part of the Carnival parade.

He claimed a screening committee would check floats for any kind of obscenity and only then would they be allowed to participate in the parade.

Meanwhile, reacting to the Congress' demand that the Carnival be cancelled in view of tension at the India-Pakistan border, state Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar said people could continue enjoying as the armed forces were valiantly guarding the country's borders.

Talking to reporters on Thursday, he said, "Enjoyment will continue in Goa the way it has been because our country has braves guarding the border. We have faith in them (armed forces) and that is why we can enjoy here."