OLD GOA
Opposition is brewing against the construction of a road near the ASI protected monument, the facade of the old church of St Paul and the State protected monuments, the St Francis Xavier’s chapel.
And complaints to this effect have been lodged by RTI activist John Mascarenhas, Save Old Goa Action Committee (SOGAC) and the Rector of Bom Jesus Basilica Fr Patricio Fernandes.
The complaints have been lodged with the Se Old Goa panchayat which has issued the tender for the road work, while copies have also been forwarded to the Tiswadi BDO, Director of Panchayats, Department of Archaeology, ASI“Goa Chapter and North Goa Collector.
In its complaint letter, the SOGAC has pointed out that the entire site falls within the 300 meters regulated development zone under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 2010.
“Any civil works in this buffer, needs prior permission from the National Monument Authority, New Delhi,” the complaint further states.
The complaint further states that there is no record of any road existing in the area. And as proof of this, the SOGAC has attached the Regional Plan as well as land survey plan.
“Officially, there is no existing road leading to St Paul’s colony, The property at S. No. 98/1 is a landlocked property with no official access road. The portion of the existing road running through S. No. 97/2 is illegally constructed by unknown individuals inside property belonging to the Archbishop of Goa, to which the church had raised several objections in the year 2004,” the complaint further states.
Finally, all the three complainants SOGAC, Mascarenhas and Fr Fernandes have demanded that the panchayat withdraw the tender with immediate effect.
The SOGAC, in fact, has threatened of legal action against the signatory of the tender if the same is not withdrawn.
When contacted, the Se Old Goa panchayat authorities informed that they are only constructing road behind the chapel and that the tender has already been floated.
But, the authorities failed to reply whether they sought permission from either the ASI or the Department of Archaeology for undertaking the road work.
