PANAJI
President Ram Nath Kovind will lay the foundation stone of the new Raj Bhavan building in Goa on May 30, announced Goa’s Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday. "The President will be in Goa on May 30, the State's 35st Statehood Day and will lay the foundation stone of the new Raj Bhavan building at Dona Paula near here within the existing complex,” said Sawant.
The decision to construct the new Raj Bhavan complex was announced by Dr Sawant in 2020 soon after the existing 16th century colonial structure was declared a heritage building by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Not stopping at this, Sawant had even suggested the officials carry on the procedures like identifying land, its design, work of which could be tendered before April 2021.
However, the lockdown and the pandemic crises prolonged the process and the project was temporarily shelved.
Pointing out that the existing centuries-old building has been declared a heritage site by the ASI and there's a need to sustain the originality and uniqueness of this building, the CM pushed this project as the government agenda. Adding to the suggestions that came forth, the Chief Secretary mentioned that the new complex should have sufficient land for the landing of three helicopters.
If one recalls, the existing Raj Bhavan seating on a mega 88 acres plot in the highly posh area of Dona Paula, this ‘Palacio de Cabo’ as was named by the Portuguese, housed the governors that ruled the island State Goa. The ancient building was a seat of power even in those colonial times. However, the expenditure from the government exchequer on the construction of a new Raj Bhavan, attracted many eyeballs, considering the amount of time and money it would cost before it gets ready.
It was in July 2020 that the CM, after a meeting with Chief Secretary Parimal Rai and PWD principal chief engineer Uttam Parsekar, thought of a new Raj Bhavan building, as PWD complained about the difficulties of maintaining the existing Raj Bhavan. It was after this that the government gave a thought to identifying land for a new Raj Bhavan which was to be tendered by April 2021. But it was in December 2021 that the governor P S Sridharan Pillai gave his approval for the construction of a new Raj Bhavan.
Soon after the State government started the preliminary discussions on how the new Raj Bhavan should be and held its first meeting to discuss the construction and identify the land, the concept and the kind of facilities it will need. Pillai had accepted the proposal for a new Raj Bhavan in October, and said he had gone through the objections raised when the proposal was put before the governor's office, earlier.
The former Governor pointed out that the CM had put a proposal before him for a Raj Bhavan as a (new) residence of the Governor and to make this ancient, prestigious Raj Bhavan open to the public as a monument and that he had accepted this offer of the CM. Interestingly, the earlier Governor, Satya Pal Malik had rejected the State’s proposal to construct a new Raj Bhavan on August 1, 2020.
