Panaji: Old Goa panchayats’ request to include a part of the village in Greater Panaji planning and development area (PDA) has upset some citizens, as they allege that greater density of development will destroy the world heritage site having 21 legally protected monuments.
A few citizens have demanded that a special gram sabha be held to discuss the issue. The concept of a planning area is ill-suited to Old Goa - a pilgrimage centre, a tourist destination and a former capital city - with multi-layered history comprising evidence of Kadamba, Vijayanagara and Portuguese era, they said.
“Old Goa is an unique heritage site in the entire state,” Glean Cabral, a social activist stated. “At the core of this village, there exist 21 legally protected monuments and sites of national and state importance, seven of these being inscribed in the Unesco list of world heritage sites,” Cabral stated in a memorandum to town and country planning (TCP) department.
Criticising the declaration of parts of Old Goa as unconstitutional, he stated that some of the monuments are already suffering from structural distress due to accelerated water flow in the core area from the deforested buffer zone.
Former sarpanch, Nilkant Bhomkar and his wife, Namrata, panch member of ward no 6, have also raised objections to the panchayat’s decision. The Bhomkars and Cabral - supported by around 100 villagers - have submitted two separate pleas to the panchayat to hold a gram sabha to discuss the issue.
“This will completely destroy our heritage village. The floor area ratio can be allowed up to 300 with height of a building up to 30m,” Bhomkars stated in a plea for a gram sabha. They raised suspicions that the inclusion is to justify setting up of a solid waste treatment plant at Bainguinim.