Goa State Museum in a sorry condition

Goa is a state that relies heavily on tourism for its revenue. When it comes to tourism, museums and the State museums in particular, play a great role. I have traveled across India during my stint as a banker, and have also visited beautiful State museums, like the Karnataka State Museum in Bangalore. Last week, some friends from Pune visited Goa, and I accompanied them to the Goa State Museum. Although the exhibits at the museum are of great value, the pathetic condition of the edifice that houses the museum makes one scared to even enter the building. The ceiling of the museum is about to collapse, and the walls have huge cracks. Similarly, the floor has sunk in some galleries. The museum is a treasure trove of Goa’s past. Right from the Kadamba inscriptions to the Inquisition Table, and from the huge Chariot to the lottery machine, the exhibits at the Goa State Museum speak a lot about Goa’s past. But I fear that the building may one day collapse and cause an irreparable loss to Goa’s heritage. Some time back, newspapers reported that the museum would be shifted to the Old GMC Complex in Panjim. But the museum still remains in the dangerous premises at Patto Plaza.  Our government spends crores on helicopter rides, aqua buses and other tourism projects. Our GDISC builds toilets worth crores! But the government and the Directorate of Museums has failed to pay due attention to the museum. I request the ministers to visit any travel website, like TripAadvisor, and view the low ratings and comments that are being made about the Goa State Museum. If the museum were in a good condition, more tourists would visit Goa. Alas! Our government seems least bothered and the State museum is being orphaned.