OLD GOA
The Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG) has submitted its objection to the Investment Promotion Board’s (IPB’s) eco-tourism project proposed near the Monte Chapel in Old Goa.
The GHAG has further demanded that a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) be prepared before such projects are proposed near heritage sites.
In its objection letter submitted to the Directorate of Industries, Trade and Commerce, GHAG has stated that the demarcation of a 100-metre buffer zone for the State protected heritage site ‘Chapel of the Monte’ is in progress.
“The proposed project appears to encompass a significant portion of this buffer zone, yet no Heritage Impact Assessment, a crucial document for minimising threats, is available for public review. Thus, it is premature to consider such a project,” the letter states.
Another important aspect pointed out by GHAG refers to the impact on the ‘Outstanding Universal Value’ (OUV) of the world heritage sites. “The proposed project is within 1 km of the 6 monuments listed as World Heritage Site ‘Churches and Convents of Goa’. A holistic HIA is necessary to determine development that won’t adversely affect the OUV of this significant heritage asset of Goa,” the GHAG states.
Further, the GHAG has chided the State government for seeking its help with the proposal for a GI tag for Kaavi art on one hand and on the other seeking to destroy a unique chapel ‘Our Lady of the Mount’ that has one of the finest examples of Kaavi art in the country.
Other points highlighted by GHAG include the Environmental Impact Assessment which has not been done in this case despite the project requiring extensive hill cutting and retaining wall activities, which could have adverse impacts.
The GHAG has also pointed out the incompatibility with zone change, climate change and natural disaster risks, inadequate access, and biodiversity concerns.
In conclusion, the GHAG has urged the IPB to respect the TCP-initiated notifications for all buffers, both for nationally important (14 sites) and for state-listed monuments (6 sites).
The IPB has also been advised to adhere to National Monuments Authority (NMA) instruction to TCP Goa to frame building bye-laws for the regulated zones and then approved by NMA, and only after that consider any project in the Old Goa panchayat area.
Among the GHAG members who signed the letter are Heta Pandit (writer, independent researcher), Fernando Velho (architect), Poonam Mascarenhas (architect, building conservation expert, research writer), Miriam Koshy (independent installation artist, curator of art exhibitions), Tahir Noronha (architect, urban planner), Jack Sukhija (entrepreneur), Hyacinth Pinto (architect, president WICCI), Prajal Sakhardande (history professor, author) and Harihara S S (communication consultant).
