Garcia willing to close SDMS schools for Sat

The Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha has written a request to the Ministry of Education for all SDMS schools be closed on Tuesday, the day of Sat Maharaj's funeral.

Newsday spoke to Dinesh Rambally, legal advisor to the SDMS yesterday following a Maha Saba meeting to discuss the funeral arrangements for the secretary general who died on Saturday after a stroke.

"We issued a request today for no school on Tuesday. Approval is yet to be granted."

In a public response yesterday, Minister of Education Anthony Garcia said he was willing to grant the request.

On Tuesday, first there will be a private ceremony with Maharaj's family at their Champs Fleurs home at 7.30 - 8.30 am, then the body will be taken to the Maha Saba headquarters at Lakshmi Girls' Hindu College in St Augustine. The funeral will run from 9 am - 11.30am.

Parking will be available at the Tunapuna Hindu School and the El Dorado North Hindu School where shuttles will take mourners to the funeral. There will also be a shuttle service from the Caroni Hindu School to Lakshmi Girls'. Shuttle services will also be available to take people to the Caroni Cremation Site from the Caroni Hindu School following their return from the funeral.

Rambally said all are invited to the funeral and cremation.