Surat: Navratri garba organisers in the city have been directed to obtain all mandatory no-objection certificates (NOCs) from the concerned departments and submit the complete set to the special branch at the police commissioner’s office for verification. Final permission for the events will be granted only after the police complete the scrutiny process.The instructions were reiterated at a meeting held at the city police commissioner’s office, chaired by in-charge police commissioner Wabang Jamir. Around 15 major garba organisers attended the meeting, along with senior officials from various civic and govt departments responsible for issuing the required NOCs.During the meeting, organisers raised concerns over procedural hurdles and delays in obtaining permissions. They said that when they approached one department for an NOC, they were often asked to first obtain clearances from other departments, leading to repeated visits and unnecessary delays.Taking note of the complaints, senior police officers directed representatives of the concerned departments not to make NOCs issued by other departments a precondition for processing their own clearances.“Police officers told the other department officials that the final approval responsibility lies with the police after verifying all the NOCs. Departments do not need to ask organisers to first obtain NOCs from other departments,” said a garba organiser who attended the meeting.As per the procedure explained at the meeting, organisers are required to obtain NOCs from electrical and fire departments, health department, and the Surat Municipal Corporation’s (SMC) zonal office for temporary structures. They must also obtain the required clearance from the local police station.Once all the NOCs have been secured, organisers must submit the complete set of documents to the licence branch at the police commissioner’s office. Police will then conduct the final scrutiny and after verifying the submitted clearances, grant the necessary permission for the garba events during Navratri.
