Chief Minister Pramod Sawant reportedly unveiled a 15-foot-tall bronze statue of Dr. Francisco Luis Gomes at Navelim on Thursday. The Chief Minister announced that the state will observe the birth and death anniversary of the unsung hero of India’s freedom movement on May 31 and June 9, respectively.
Born in Navelim in 1829, Dr. Francisco Luis Gomes was a versatile personality. A linguist, thinker, master of several European and Indian languages, doctor, writer, orator, economist, social activist, politician and a freedom fighter. Dr. Gomes, a polymath, left a rich legacy in various fields. We need to salute his vision for Goa. Unfortunately all these years precious little has been done to honour this great son-of-the soil.
Now with the unveiling of the statue, hopefully all this will change. One of the main roads in the port town of Vasco is the FL Gomes road, named after the great personality. This road stretches from Tilak Maidan to the IOC Terminus and needs to be spruced up. At several places there are no proper pavements, especially at the vegetable market place. In the past the constant repairs of the sewerage line passing beneath the road and the soft mud has led to multiple potholes. The entire road needs to be beautified. A statue of the nationalist Dr. Francisco Luis Gomes could even be installed along the route.
