The beautification of the iconic Mae de Deus Church in Saligao, along with the area inside its compound wall, was carried out and successfully completed by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) at the request of former local MLA, Jayesh Salgaonkar, about three years ago during the time of the former Parish priest, Fr Matheus Rodrigues. The tourism department beautifully developed the inside area, laid a lawn to enhance the front of the Church to look more like a garden, and installed lights inside and along the compound wall to attract more tourists, especially at night.
For a while, everything was well maintained. Sadly, this is no longer the case. Nowadays, many outsiders (mainly domestic tourists, including some anti-social elements) can be seen loitering around the Church, bringing in food and snacks, drinking alcohol while sitting on the lawn, and leaving rubbish everywhere. Even worse, some migrant children are often seen playing football and cricket, damaging the lawn and lights. Do some people think the area in front of the Church is a playground or a public park?
I believe the Church committee and parishioners should take this issue seriously. They should install more CCTV cameras throughout the inside and outside of the compound wall (especially near the bandstand parking area, around the statue of Our Lady by the road, and at all entry points) to monitor movement and keep a close watch on those engaging in illegal activities, such as bringing in food that causes litter, letting children play on the lawn and cause damage, drinking alcohol or using drugs, and littering the area. This behaviour is creating a nuisance for everyone near Mae de Deus Church in Saligao.
