Construction at Old Goa heritage site raises eyebrow

Construction at Old Goa heritage site raises eyebrow

Goa Heritage Action Group, Save Old Goa Citizen Action Committee and Old Goa locals object

Team Herald

PANJIM: Expressing deep concern over what they have described to be ‘an attack on Old Goa’s heritage’, various groups demanded action against a construction in a protected area where the historic Church of St Cajetan is located even though the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has raised strong objections against it. 

On Saturday, the Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG), Save Old Goa Citizen Action Committee and Old Goa locals, addressed the media persons, wherein they provided documentary evidence to back their allegations that the construction was flouting norms. 

They criticised the manner in which the Town and Country Planning (TCP) and Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) gave permission in 2016 for reconstruction, which went against the prevailing law that states that ASI Delhi cannot permit any construction in the protected area.  

“For the last 20 years and until December of last year there was a hut in the plot adjoining St Cajetan Church made of traditional material. Now there is a huge concrete monstrosity, which has been constructed while residents of Goa have been indoors due to the second wave of COVID-19,” said Heta Pandit of GHAG.

Fr Noel Da Costa expressed his outrage at the development and questioned what this meant for the future of the World Heritage Site and how the under-construction project was allowed to reach its present status. 

Local resident Glen Cabral referred to three ASI reports, the first being a site inspection carried out in 2015. “Application for the construction of residential house falls in the protected area of the Centrally Protected Monuments of Arch of Viceroy and the World Heritage Site Church of St Cajetan, Old Goa.  Since the proposed construction is entirely new, permission cannot be granted as it falls within the ‘Protected Area’, only repairs to the existing structure as it is, may be granted without any addition to the structure,” read the ASI report. 

The locals pointed out that the monument (Largo) contains the ruins of the Viceroy’s House, Customs House etc. and was an important public garden in the old city of Goa which was the capital of Asia in the Portuguese Empire.

Furthermore, ASI’s second report of March 2020, referred to another inspection carried out by them, wherein they were verifying photos that were submitted to claim that a house did exist in the area concerned but that it had been destroyed by a storm in the year 1992. 

 “It is found that the photograph submitted is false and the claim of the existence of the house before the year 1992 is fake,” read the letter sent by the Superintending Archaeologist, ASI Goa Circle to the Director, Monuments- II, ASI New Delhi. 

Most recently, in April 2021, following instructions from ASI, New Delhi, ASI Goa circle issued a show cause notice stating that the construction of a residential house, which falls within protected area of Chapel of St Cajetan, a centrally protected monument is in contravention of the permissions issued by Director, Monuments-II for undertaking repairs of house in village Ella, Old Goa. 

ASI Goa circle further pointed out that the repair work was to have been executed under their consultation and supervision.  However, it observed that instead of carrying out repairs to the existing old loja/hut, construction activity had begun at the end of last year, wherein the loja/hut was demolished. They detailed the scope of construction since then. 

“We demand action and are making this statement in public interest as tomorrow other heritage sites can get affected like this. Our history is our culture. We need to retain and maintain it. Do we want to see this happen? Is this the Goa we deserve for our children and ourselves?,” Cabral while reiterating that the ongoing work is not repair work but a completely new construction involving relocation with major additions and alterations.