PANAJI
Violations of stringent heritage conservation laws and rules by the promoters of the controversial structure at Old Goa close to the Chapel of St Cajetan, a protected monument, had been called out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) way back on April 8 via a show-cause notice to Suvarna Lotlikar.
Mysteriously, however, local authorities remained passive even as the construction activity on the property, then jointly owned by Lotlikar and prominent realtor Manish Munot, who is the husband of Mumbai-based BJP Spokesperson Shaina NC, continued despite a "stop work" directive in the "show-cause notice" issued by the ASI's Superintending Archaeologist on April 8 this year.
Perusal of documents obtained from the ASI's Delhi office under the Right To Information Act, reveal that the construction was deemed "illegal" for violating the terms of the permission issued by the ASI's Director (Monuments-II) in February 2020, purely for "repairs" of an existing house in the property, which in fact was an old loja/hut.
Instead, the project's promoters went ahead and demolished the loja/hut using a JCB, dug column pits and laid a plinth in the 68 days between December 30, 2020 and March 8, this year.
At least three reports of the developments and construction activity being carried out at the site staggered through this 68-day period dated December 30 last year and January 19 and March 8 this year, were filed by the Junior Conservation Assistant attached to the ASI's Old Goa office.
And despite the 'stop-work' directive in the April 8 show-cause notice, construction work to erect the structure of a sprawling ground-plus-one bungalow the property continued unhindered.
Some of the flagrant violations flagged by the Superintending Archaeologist, ASI Goa in the show-cause notice includes serious breaches of an order under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, which entail up to two-years imprisonment or a fine of up to Rs one lakh or both.
Erecting RCC columns, laying the plinth beams and the plinth were some of the other violations which were flagged in the March 8 report of the ASI's junior conservation assistant.
The site is located within the protected area of two centrally protected monuments -- Church of St Cajetan and Viceroy's Arch -- at Old Goa. But in February 2020, the permission of ASI's 'competent authority' to carry out repairs to the existing residential house was conveyed to Lotlikar by the Delhi office of the ASI.
The permission for repairs, however, clearly stipulates that there should not be any variation in length, breadth and height of the structure after repairs in comparison to the existing dimensions. Another condition, stipulated that the permission "does not cover reconstruction."
In the next six months and more after the April 8 show-cause notice, however, the project's promoters had a field day and went about erecting a ground-plus-one structure multiple times the size of the existing loja/hut they had sought permission to "repair".
Activity at the site came to a halt only when the agitation launched by the Save Old Goa Action Committee gained steam in the first week of this month and the State government stepped in to direct action against the construction under the panchayat laws by the Old Goa village panchayat.
The latter then pasted a "stop work" order and has now on Thursday formally revoked its own loja/hut repair permission it had granted.
