PANAJI
Expressing concern over the apparent defacement of an ancient protected monument, the High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed the Directorate of Archives and Archaeology to submit a complete list of monuments protected under the Goa Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1978.
The Division Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes and Justice Amit Jamsandekar also sought details of permissions granted for works at such sites. The direction came while hearing a PIL by Aditya Dattu Raut Dessai concerning an NOC issued to the Goa Tourism Development Corporation in 2018 for a retaining wall at Shri Chandreshwar Bhootnath Devasthan.
The court said photographs showed the ancient monument had been “totally defaced”. The department must file an affidavit within two weeks. The matter will be heard on September 1.
