The magnificent Old Goa Church complex is in serious need of care and protection. As Goa celebrates the annual feast of St Francis Xavier, heritage activists, planners and many concerned Goans, are aware that this magnificence is under serious threat because of inadequate legal protection and lack of will to preserve Goa’s biggest asset, the Church complex. Goans, cutting across religious barriers want these assets to be protected.
The very fact that the citizens have had to get together to form the Save Old Goa Action Committee (SOGAC) to demand a heritage master plan for the historic city of Old Goa, itself is a sad indictment of the ineptitude, towards protecting our most priceless assets, the Basilica of Bom Jesus which houses relics of St Francis Xavier and one of Asia’s biggest churches, Se Cathedral. The complex also includes the St Cajetan Church, Church and Convent of St Francis of Assisi, Chapel of St Catherine, Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, remains of St Paul’s college, Arch of Viceroy, Arch of Adil Shah’s Palace, St Augustine’s Tower and Chapel of St Francis Xavier.
The protection of these, was supposed to be dovetailed in the Regional Plan of 2021, whose fate itself is in permanent abeyance. Meanwhile, heritage activists have strongly advocated a detailed Heritage Master Plan of Goa, which will attach itself to the tourism master plan. The reasoning behind this was simple, yet crucial. This complex (as well as other heritage sensitive areas) have to be shielded from the letter of other laws and plans which may have provisions to start construction or even enter into areas which are sensitive. Since we do not have a very good track record of preservation and a very good track record of exploitation of our heritage, a heritage master plan armed with enough teeth to protect our heritage is imperative.
At the same time a separate master plan of the Old Goa Church complex has been proposed. In July this year, the government assigned architect Ketak Nachinolkar to study the specific heritage site of the Old Goa Church complex. The Urban Development Department stated that based on the detailed study by Mr Nachinolkar, the Master Plan for the complex would be drawn.
The promises didn’t end there. It was also mooted that a Special Development Authority for the Old Goa Heritage complex would be created. The Goa State Urban Development Agency (GSUDA) was appointed as the nodal agency to oversee the process of drafting the Master Plan.
Five months later, on the feast of Goencho Saib, we are still unclear where these promises are headed. With the election code of conduct about to be announced soon, the heritage master plan will be pushed back for yet another year, as it has been for many years now.
Currently, the only legislations that overtly guard our monuments are the ASI Act, under which there are 21 protected monuments in Goa (including the Old Goa church complex) and the State Archeology Act under which there are 50 monuments. But these acts are limited only to the monuments. The Heritage master plan will be a broad holistic framework to protect areas around monuments from rampant illegal construction, often with the blessings of local politicians. This is exactly what is happening in Old Goa.
It is immensely significant that UNESCO has declared the churches and other precious structures at Old Goa, as heritage monuments. But right now, this protection is only on paper. On the ground, Goa’s heritage is getting attacked and marauded each passing day and it is only the love and blessings of the Goencho Saib, that has kept these monuments safe.
