Panaji: The cremation of late Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will take place full state honour on Monday evening. The funeral procession will be taken from Kala Academy, Panjim, at four in the evening and last rites will be performed at five in the evening at Miramar.
Parrikar’s mortal remains will be kept at the BJP head office, Panjim, between 9:30 am to 10:30 am and would be moved to Kala Academy for the public to pay their last respects. The public can pay homage to Parrikar from 11 am to 4 pm. The state of Goa will also be observing seven-day mourning to grieve the loss of late chief minister.
“As a mark of respect to the departed dignitary, seven days’ State Mourning will be observed throughout the state of Goa from March, 18 to March 24, both days inclusive. During the period of State Mourning, the National Flag will fly at Half Mast on all the buildings throughout the state of Goa where it is regularly flown and there will be no official entertainment,” an official statement said.
Union Minister Rajnath Singh will be going to Goa to pay his respects to Parrikar. Chief Ministers of various BJP ruled state are also expected to arrive in Goa to pay their last respects to Manohar Parrikar. A meeting of the Union Cabinet has been called tomorrow to pay condolence to the deceased leader.
The Centre has already announced the National Mourning on March 18. Meanwhile, the Governor of Goa Mridula Sinha has condoled the demised of chief minister on behalf of the state Government and the people of Goa. In her condolence message, the Governor has said that she is deeply sorry to hear about the sad and the untimely demise of Manohar Parrikar.
“As a political leader he had, in his own way, chartered a new approach to various problems and succeeded in resolving many of them by his sincere personality,” she said. “Manohar Parrikar was an able Administrator and has raised the stature of the State of Goa to the highest level. He created an ideal for all the leaders to emulate and follow his path. He will be remembered as a social worker who gave his whole life to the cause of people,” she said.
Congress-led opposition a leader in Goa assembly, Chandrakant Kavlekar also expressed grief over the death of Parrikar and stated that Goa has lost one of the greatest leaders of the soil. “This loss is certainly irreversible and incalculable. Though I had political differences with him, I respected him as an individual as well as a leader of great abilities. He proved himself as a true fighter who fought against the dangerous illness of cancer, while continuing with the regular service of the state,” he said. Parrikar, 63, breathed his last on Sunday evening after a prolonged battle with cancer.
