PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said the government will survey the nearly 4 lakh square metres of land where a Leprosorium once stood at Curtorim even as he stated that suitable land there will be earmarked for a cultural centre dedicated to the memory of Padma Bhusan, the late Dr Jose Pereira.
Sawant, who was responding to the discussion on a private member's resolution moved by Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginald Lourenco, said once the land is demarcated and the existing encroachments dealt with, the land could be utilised partly for the cultural centre and other projects like a new building for the current dilapidated Primary Health Centre at Curtorim.
Earlier Lourenco was joined by several members to support the setting up of the cultural centre in Dr Pereira's memory citing his prowess as a Sanskrit scholar, artist, historian, linguist and writer.
Vijai Sardesai, Aleixo Sequeira and Viresh Borkar among others, spoke of the eminence of Dr Pereira and that establishing a cultural centre in his memory will be an apt tribute.
Dr Pereira, known for his fresco paintings internationally, was fluent in 13 languages and was a strong proponent of Konkani.
He stirred up a controversy in Portugal, where he had relocated as a guest lecturer in Lisbon on the eve of Goa's liberation, with his public statement: "Goa has a cultural identity of its own and can never be a showcase of the greatness of the Portuguese."
He was conferred the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2012 and passed away in January 2015. He is a native of Curtorim.
