Mumbai, April 27 (IANS) Days after the cancellation of Circoloco’s concert in Mumbai due to permission issues, particularly those linked to evolving regulatory protocols for large-scale outdoor events, the Maharashtra government on Monday set up a 24-member committee to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for organising big-ticket live events seamlessly in the state.
A state government resolution said that the committee, comprising 24 representatives from government departments and live event organisers, will prepare an SOP aimed at introducing a single-window clearance system for such events.
The Director General of Information and Public Relations will head the panel.
The resolution stated that the state will approve an “effective and industry-friendly” SOP covering permissions and logistical requirements for organising live concerts and events.
The SOP will be aligned with the Centre’s guidelines for organising live events, which are currently under preparation.
The committee will include senior law enforcement officers such as the Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Additional Director General of Police (Traffic), and Joint Commissioner of Police (Mumbai); civic authorities such as the Additional Municipal Commissioner (BMC) and Additional Collector (Mumbai City and Suburban); and senior officials from emergency services, including Maharashtra Fire and Emergency Services.
At present, organisers of live events are required to obtain permissions from approximately 10 to 15 different authorities, including fire services, police and traffic management authorities — a process widely seen as cumbersome and time-consuming.
The state government has also given approval to the Directorate General of Information and Public Relations to initiate the process of appointing an external agency to develop a digital dashboard and mechanism to facilitate permissions in line with the proposed SOP.
The move comes after what was seen as a major disappointment for electronic music fans, with Brazil-born event brand Circoloco’s India debut being cancelled. The event was scheduled for April 19 at the Jio World Garden in Bandra Kurla Complex.
Over 4,000 tickets had been sold, and attendees had travelled from the UK, Costa Rica, Dubai and Sri Lanka, in addition to several cities across India. The event was called off a day before it was scheduled to take place.
A letter shared by Circoloco’s official account stated that the police had denied permission, citing a “likelihood of large-scale uncontrolled crowd causing chaos and disturbance, which may lead to law and order problems”.
The event was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. and conclude at 10 p.m.
The cancellation also followed stricter scrutiny by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on live events in the city after a drug overdose incident at the 9×9 music concert held at NESCO in Goregaon.
–IANS
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