Losing heritage

If there was anything to prove that the government of Goa, of the day and the past too, has seriously undervalued and neglected Goa’s heritage areas, through development plans, then the road between the Basilica de Bom Jesu and Se Cathedral is a great example. The road is notified as the main thoroughfare and sees thousands of vehicles pass through every day, which does not do much for the centuries old monuments that stand on either side.

Look closely and the seven monuments in Old Goa, which have been adopted by UNESCO as heritage sites, as well as the many others adopted by the state, as in danger. This apathy by the state government came to light in a talk by Edgar Rebeiro, who is the former Chief Town Planner of India and an ex member of the RP2021 Task Force. It was in reference to the lack of heritage mapping in the Regional Plan that brought about these observations by Rebeiro.

There are laws, at the central and state level, which prohibit any development within 100 metres of notified heritage sites. In the 200 metre area, there is a provision for regulatory development. Here, settlement and commercial areas should be a strict no-no. But Old Goa is evidence enough, to the lack of enforcement of these laws. It was here at the Archaeological Society of India (ASI) head N Taher, who was also at the talk, mentioned that the state authorities did not take any requests for the no development zone to be enforced seriously. If this is the case, then the State is guilty of ignoring the law.

The best way to sort an issue like this out is to take mapping seriously. Just like in other countries, heritage areas in India, and Goa, need to be mapped, in order to clearly demarcate the areas that need protection, as well as the no-development zones and regulatory development zones. Mapping here should not be looked on as a task but as a method to preserve the state’s heritage.

The heritage sites are possibly Goa’s biggest areas, but not the only ones. There are many areas around the state that need to fall under this umbrella and it is there that mapping serves the purpose, to draw a virtual circle around monuments and notify authorities and even local organisations of their status. Here, villages too can participate in the process and work to preserve their local monuments.

The reasons for preserving heritage are many and there are also many avenues to fund their preservation. A lack of charges to visit and view these sites is glaring. Most monuments in Europe and America charge an entry, which goes to a fund set up to protect and preserve them. Looking at just the Old Goa monuments, judging by the number of visitors per day, there is a huge economic potential that can supplement the preservation funds. Heritage tourism is a viable vertical if done correctly and the government needs to tap this resource.

But, if the laws are not implemented and enforced, then Goa’s heritage sites, the Old Goa monuments in particular, will slowly erode and fade away. No amount of heritage tourism will serve the purpose then. Luckily, there is still time to course correct. The government of Goa needs to rectify this soon.