Indian Bureaucracy News Network, Panaji, November 26, 2025 | North Goa Administration Sets Up Multi-Layered Control Rooms Ahead of St. Francis Xavier Feast.
The North Goa District Administration has announced control-room mechanism to manage the large influx of pilgrims expected for the Novenas and Feast of St. Francis Xavier at the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa. The arrangements—detailed in an official press note issued by Collector and District Magistrate Ankit Yadav IAS—will remain operational from 24 November to 3 December 2025.
The annual celebration, one of Goa’s most significant religious events, draws tens of thousands of devotees from across India and abroad. The nine-day Novenas leading up to the feast are marked by continuous prayers, special masses, and processions at the UNESCO-listed Basilica, where the relics of St. Francis Xavier are preserved. The festival transforms Old Goa into a vibrant spiritual and cultural hub, accompanied by heavy footfall, traffic congestion, and heightened public-safety demands.
To ensure effective monitoring, incident response, and public grievance redressal, the district administration has activated Taluka, District, and Police Control Rooms, which will function round-the-clock through the event period.
Control Rooms Notified
-
Emergency Response Number: 112
-
Taluka Control Room (Tiswadi): Office of Deputy Collector & SDM, Tiswadi – 7972915994
-
District Control Room (North Goa Collectorate): 0832-2225383
-
Police Control Rooms:
- Old Goa Police Station – 0832-2285301, 7875756024
- Panaji Police Station – 7875756000
The press note emphasises that members of the public may reach out to any of these units for information, assistance, or urgent support during the religious festivities. The administration expects large gatherings not only at the Basilica but also along the adjoining stretches of Old Goa, necessitating coordinated management of crowd movement, traffic diversions, medical response, and on-ground supervision.
Officials said the control-room framework aims to prevent bottlenecks often encountered during the feast—from emergency response delays to communication gaps between multiple departments. Over the years, the feast has seen steadily increasing attendance, especially on peak days when pilgrims gather for midnight masses and for darshan at the Basilica.
The state has directed all heads of departments, field officers, and stakeholders involved in event coordination to stay in close contact with the notified control rooms and extend full cooperation. This includes teams handling traffic regulation, disaster management, health services, sanitation, fire safety, and crowd control.
The Feast of St. Francis Xavier, commonly called Goencho Saib by devotees, holds deep historical and cultural significance in Goa. The annual observance commemorates the missionary’s death on December 3, 1552, and has evolved into one of the largest Christian gatherings in Asia. While the exposition of his relics occurs every ten years, the yearly feast still attracts high numbers of domestic and foreign visitors, requiring elaborate planning by district authorities.
This year’s arrangements, led by the District Disaster Management Authority, reflect a strengthened focus on safety, coordination, and real-time communication—key components given the scale of the celebrations.
The administration has also urged attendees to stay alert, cooperate with ground personnel, and use the designated helplines for any assistance during the festival period.