PANAJI
State Government will consult the Church and seek their suggestions on preservation of archaeological sites in Goa including Old Goa. The Government has also decided to refurbish Saptakoteshwar Temple at Naroa by spending Rs 4.5 crore before December 2018.
"I will meet the Archbishop to know the expectations of the church with regard to Old Goa. As soon as I get an appointment, I will call on the Archbishop to know what the Church expects about the preservation of certain archaeological sites. Old Goa has to be protected and we are committed to preserving it for posterity," said Minister for Archives and Archaeology Vijai Sardesai.
Stating that Old Goa was meant to be a heritage site, Sardesai said, "This is why I want to first ascertain what the expectations of the Church are when it comes to preservation of the archaeological sites as well as Old Goa in general."
When asked about constructions coming up illegally in and around heritage sites, he said, "We will not allow constructions to come up in such areas which will deplete the heritage value of Old Goa. Illegal construction will be demolished. I am in touch with various priests too over the issue. We will also see to it that there is no conflict with the Archaeological Survey of India."
Meanwhile, Sardesai also informed that the State Government will spend a total sum of Rs 4.5 lakh on the refurbishment of Saptakoteshwar Temple at Naroa.
"We are spending Rs 4.5 crore to refurbish the Saptakoteshwar temple at Naroa. The work which had stopped some time ago has now been revived. Chhatrapati Shivaji had visited the temple 350 years ago and we will observe the anniversary on April 6, 2019. We want to complete the work before that, so we have set a target of December 2018. We also plan to have a tourism circuit around that temple, while preserving the area as a heritage zone," said Sardesai.
