Goa gets ready for the Exposition, millions expected.

Four-lane roads, bridges, hundreds of volunteers, tight security and a myriad of assorted requirements from staying facilities to toilets are all being put in place as Goa prepares for its biggest religious event of the decade - the decennial Exposition of 16th century Spanish saint Francis Xavier - that is expected to be attended by about five million Christians, including half a milllion foreign tourists, from the world over.

The feast of Xavier, the Patron Saint of Goa and the man who brought Christianity to this part of the world and is believed to have requisitioned for the Inquisition to this part of the world, will be celebrated with pomp from Nov 22 for 40 days, stretching into January 2015, thanks to elaborate arrangements by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government.

According to Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, the government has chalked out infrastructure projects worth Rs 50 crore (500 million rupees) to ensure that the event as well as the mass pilgrimage is smooth and hassle-free.

'We are making sure that before the pilgrims are here, all arrangements are in place. There will be no problems vis-a-vis their health or hygiene. Garbage (will be) managed,' says Parrikar.

The government is pulling all stops to ensure that infrastructure-related works are completed by Nov 15.

BS