MARGAO
Ongoing work on a hockey ground in front of the Christ the King statue at the Assolna Church complex sparked heated discussion at the Assolna village panchayat gram sabha on Sunday. The meeting, attended by Velim MLA Cruz Silva, saw several members question the project’s location directly in front of the statue. They pointed out that the Christ the King statue at Assolna is believed to be the first of its kind in Asia and holds both religious and heritage importance.
Members raised concerns over the ongoing work and demanded that the No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued for the project be revoked.
Speaking to the media later, Cruz Silva said the hockey ground is not being built with government funds but under CSR. He acknowledged that some members had objected to the project being located in front of the statue. He also said the government has approved a separate eco-tourism project to beautify the Christ the King site. “The proposed beautification has nothing to do with the hockey ground. The two projects are completely separate,” he said.
Meanwhile, gram sabha members also pointed out several issues in the panchayat’s budget estimates for the financial year 2026–27. They asked the panchayat to correct the inconsistencies and present the revised estimates again for discussion.
