The World Heritage site at Old Goa is totally neglected. The concerned authorities have failed to protect the site which led to total neglect, resulting in monuments falling.
The Old Goa sites comprises of not only world famous churches but other historical monuments like “Hatkatro Khambo” (The Pilar of chopping of the hands).It is an intriguing pillar dating back from Kadamba era believed to be built in 12th-13th century and was part of the temple relic then.
Today this monument is right in the middle of newly built highway and venerable to the vagaries of traffic and vibration from the heavy vehicles. Any further accident will bring crumbling down this monument and a heritage site will be lost forever.
The base stone construction is already hit by the vehicles as seen the picture. Lot of multi-storey buildings have mushroomed around the periphery of this world famous site with the blessing of the politicians and the builder lobby. More constructions are coming up on the Kadamba Plateau which caters to the greed of the rich businessmen from outside the state investing in second, third house concept.
The construction activity should be freezed around these world heritage sites and construction should be restricted to only local populace requirements of Old Goa residents and that too with a strict adherence to architectural design to merge and amalgamate with the site architecture designs.
The Old Goa Heritage sites area famous all over the world and tourists flock not only to see the body of St Francis Xavier but also to experience the history through the heritage sites. The St Augustine Tower is one site which leaves the visitors in awe since it is standing there for centuries together.
Will the concerned authorities act in time and save nine or leave the sites to the vagaries of nature and be destroyed?
