Permission for Sunburn 2011 not yet given: Goa govt

Panaji: The Goa government today said that permission to the Sunburn 2011 music festival, scheduled between December 27 and 29 at Candolim beach here, was yet to be given.

State Chief Secretary Sanjay Srivastava said that the authorities were yet to give a green signal to the festival, which has been widely advertised and line-up has been announced by the organisers. "I will enquire into the matter, as they are advertising on the national media and bookings have also started on the internet. Government has not given any permission to them and without seeking it, they are advertising," Srivastava said during a function in Panaji today. Responding to a question, Srivastava said, government would check out all the details of the festival. A property of Percept Limited, the music festival is likely to be attended by Bollywood celebrities like Akshay Kumar, Twinkle Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Pratiek Babbar, Ameesha Patel, Priyanka Chopra, Ranbir Kapoor, among others. Joint Managing Director of Percept Shailendra Singh said that all the permissions for the event were being acquired. "There is long documentation (process) that needs to be done for the permissions. We hope that we will live up to the expectations of the government," he said, adding "Our fingers are crossed that government finds everything in order and supports us." The festival had hit similar controversy last year when state Home Minister Ravi Naik had claimed that the organisers had not taken the necessary permissions. The party, however, had taken place after organisers managed to get all the clearances. Sunburn 2011 will be the fifth edition of this festival in Goa, which has become an annual event. PTI