FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024
PANJIM: The speeches of Goa’s first Chief Minister Dayanand Bandodkar, the observations of the firebrand Kashinath Jalmi and so many stalwarts who adorned the Goa legislature before March 2000 when the Assembly complex shifted to Porvorim from Adil Shah Palace, are thankfully all preserved and intact
Herald, during the course of its ground level inquiries and conversations learned that copies of speeches and debates from 1964 onwards till date are intact and available in the Record Room situated on the first floor of Goa Assembly Complex, Porvorim. All the old copies have been scanned and preserved in voluminous books and kept in the cupboard awaiting digitisation.
This was further corroborated by Secretary (Legislature) Namrata Ulman who told Herald that the legislative department has preserved all the documents and video tapes from 1964 and are currently in the process of digitising them (See accompanying story)
The Legislature Department staff too appeared shocked at the Chief Minister’s statement and opined that he may be referring to old audio cassettes, which are now worn out and needs to be salvaged at all costs.
The Legislature Department has already taken up the arduous task of digitising all the records. So far Assembly records from 1972 to 2002 have been digitised. Also from 2014 to date records to have been digitised.
The agency is digitising records backward and those from 2013 to 2009 records were digitized. Now all the records from 2003 to 2008 are being digitised as the agency is using two machines to digitise old and new copies/papers.
Only records from January 9, 1964, up to 1971 are yet to be digitised though all records have been scanned and preserved in voluminous booklets. All verbatim records are available and many researchers, and scholars journalists have been using the old records for their study reference.
Even audio tapes of speeches of former leaders are with us: Namrata Ulman
The Goa Legislative Department has stated that it has preserved all the documents, including videotapes, of Assembly records from 1963 to 2000 right from the year the House, met for the first time on January 9, 1964, to date, and is currently in the process of digitising it.
Post liberation in 1961, for the first time on January 9, 1964, members of the First Legislative Assembly of erstwhile Goa, Daman, and Diu legislative met at Adil Shah Palace, the Secretariat building to transact business. The facility was shifted to Porvorim in March 2000.
Speaking to HERALD, Secretary (Legislature) Namrata Ulman said that the legislative department has preserved all the documents and video tapes from 1964 and we are currently in the process of digitising them. “We have maintained all the documents… yes we also have the audio tapes consisting of speeches of former leaders…we have preserved everything…we have initiated a process to digitise it…it will take some time,” she said.
“I don’t know which documents the Chief Minister was talking about,” Ulman added.
The Chief Minister had on Monday claimed that the old records of the Assembly proceedings, including speeches of Goa’s first Chief Minister Dayanand Bandodkar, Leader of the Opposition Jack De Sequeira and others, were destroyed when the Secretariat was shifted from the Adil Shah Palace building to the new Assembly Complex, Porvorim in March 2000.
